Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef or half Italian sausage
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
- 8-10 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 14 oz. can can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tsp EACH dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 10 uncooked lasagna noodles broken into approx. 1-2 inch pieces*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream,optional**
Cheese Garnish
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ricotta cheese
Directions:
- Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef (or beef/sausage combo) and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add spaghetti sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, and broken lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until lasagna noodles are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 20-30 minutes).
- Discard bay leaf, stir in heavy cream (optional), add and 2-4 cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Garnish individual servings with desired amount of cheeses.
Notes:
*You can also replace the noodles with 2 1/2 cups uncooked small shells if desired and simmer for less time.
**If you want to omit the heavy cream but still would like a thicker soup, I suggest whisking 2 teaspoons cornstarch with some of the chicken broth and adding to the soup to simmer and thicken.
**If you want to omit the heavy cream but still would like a thicker soup, I suggest whisking 2 teaspoons cornstarch with some of the chicken broth and adding to the soup to simmer and thicken.
*www.carlsbadcravings.com