Lasagna Soup

Lasagna in any form gets a thumbs up in my book! Soup form is ingenious! It was so much faster and it was even better the next day! Get some crusty bread and soak it up! I got the recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. The girl rocks!

INGREDIENTS

Soup:

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

2 bay leaves

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 pound fusilli noodles, cooked and drained

Cheese topping:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

In a large 4-quart pot, add the Italian sausage and cook over medium heat, breaking the pieces up with a wooden spoon or spatula while it cooks. I prefer the sausage in fairly small pieces. After about 3-4 minutes, add the onion. Cook the sausage and onion together, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are soft,a bout 5-7 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if desired. Stir in the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and tomato paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, bay leaves and chicken broth. Add the basil, if using dried (if using fresh basil, add it in the next step).

Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and the fresh basil, if using.

For the cheese mixture, in a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and basil. Set aside.

To serve the soup, add a scoop of cooked pasta noodles to a bowl. Top with a ladle or two of soup and dollop with a generous spoonful of the cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Serve immediately.

Ham Chowder

My first born turned 7 today!! Happy tears! She is such a wonderful kid. Full of life and great ideas and beautiful red hair. I am so happy that she came to me first because she is such a great help to me. Going to make the best chocolate cake ever for her. We are true kindred spirits because she is a chocolate fanatic!

On a side note: Let me just tell you that this is the most delicious ham chowder ever! I was so excited that there were leftovers for two days. It was so easy to make and most of my family loved it. (My 7 year old doesn't like much of anything!) I got this recipe from the site Eat Cake for Dinner. This place is awesome!! One of my new favorites!

Ham Chowder

From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

1 Tbl. Butter

1 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 c. onion, finely chopped

3 carrots (about 1 1/2 c.), chopped

2 large russet potatoes, diced

garlic, minced

1 1/2-2 c. leftover spiral ham, chopped

1 can low-sodium chicken broth

4-5 c. milk

4 Tbl. cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 c. water

1 can corn, drained

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper

1 1/2-2 c. Cheddar cheese, grated

Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, chopped carrots and diced potatoes. Saute for about 10 minutes or until onions and potatoes are slightly translucent. Add the garlic and ham and cook another minute or so. Add one can of chicken broth and bring up to a boil. Boil until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add milk and stir to combine. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pot. Add the can of corn and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper (you might not need salt depending on how salty your ham, broth and corn are). Stir to combine. Cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Last, add shredded cheese and stir until smooth and melted. Serve with sliced baguette. Serves: 5-6.

Sundried Tomato Soup

We are pretty picky about our tomato soup around here. Needs some chunks (sometimes). Needs to be creamy. Needs to go perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich. Easy, right?! Well, this recipe is easy and follows all these requirements I got it from One Perfect Bite. Usually I don't have sun dried tomatoes just sittin' around, but I did that day and thank goodness for that!



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained but juices reserved
1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth
2 thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon concentrated sun-dried tomato paste or canned tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) In a large saucepan, melt butter in the olive oil. Add onion and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, about 4 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and canned tomatoes. Combine reserved tomato juice and chicken broth in a 3 to 4 cup measure. Add water to make three cups liquid. Add liquid to pot with thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are very soft, about 20 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in tomato paste.
2) Transfer small batches of soup to a blender and puree. Return to pot and warm over low heat. Stir in creme fraiche or cream and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings.