If Garfield made soup, he’d make this soup.  Of all the wildly popular American takes on Italian cuisine (spaghetti and meatballs; fettuccine Alfredo; chicken Parmesan), the latest to go viral is lasagna soup, thanks to one TikTok user with a Lego set and a thing for pasta. It retains everything you love about lasagna — the tomatoey marinara, spicy Italian sausage, soft sheets of pasta and milky ricotta cheese — and simmers it together with chicken stock to create the red sauced comfort food of your dreams.

Ingredients for the soup:

• 2 Tab olive oil
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1 14.5-oz. can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 6 lasagna noodles, broken into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• 4 c baby spinach
• 1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
• Italian bread, for serving

Ingredients for the ricotta dumplings:

• 1 c fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1/4 c fresh basil, shopped
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Make the soup:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Crumble in the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until reduced and syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and 3 cups water to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
6. Stir in the oregano, salt and red pepper flakes.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 7 minutes.
8. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just al dente, 6 to 7 minutes.
9. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if needed.

Make the ricotta dumplings:

1. Stir together the ricotta, parmesan, basil, salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl.
2. Ladle the soup into bowls and dollop the ricotta dumplings on top (about 2 tablespoons per dumpling).
3. Top with an extra sprinkle of grated parmesan.
4. Serve with bread.

Serves:  4 – 6

Ree Drummond,  published: Jan 31, 2023