Recipe of the Month: Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef, ½ Italian sausage or ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 24 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
• 8 to 10 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon Each dried parsley, dried oregano, salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 10 uncooked lasagna noodles broken into approx. 1 to 2 inch pieces
• ½ cup heavy cream, optional**

Chees Garnish

• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Ricotta cheese (14804000)

Instructions

1. Heat large Dutch oven/large soup pot over medium high heat. Add beef and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until beef is browned. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until tender. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Add Prego Sauce, 6 cups chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, spices, bay leaf and lasagna noodles. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until lasagna noodles are tender, stirring occasionally (approximately 20 to 30 minutes).
3. Discard bay leaf and stir in heavy cream (optional) and 2 to 4 cups chicken broth to reach desired consistency. Garnish with cheese if desired.

Notes

You can substitute the lasagna noodles with any small pasta too.