Lasagna Soup

This is one of my favorite WOW recipes, it never fails to impress!  It’s easy to make so don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you.

• 1 cup diced or shredded carrots
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 6-8 cups beef broth
• 1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 can of condensed tomato soup
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 1/4 cups mafalda or other small pasta
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large stock pot, brown the ground beef or turkey and drain well. Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic and continue to saute 3-5 minutes. Add beef broth, tomatoes, tomato soup, and Italian seasoning. Simmer over low heat 25-30 minutes to combine flavors. Add pasta and cook 6-8 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir in spinach and cook 1 minute.

To serve, place 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese in the bottom of bowl and ladle hot soup over the top. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Garlic bread is a MUST with this soup!

I also like to serve it with Parmesan crisps. To make the Parmesan crisps spread 2 tbsp. of shredded Parmesan cheese thinly into a 4-5 inch circle on a preheated nonstick skillet. (it should look lacy) Cook 1-3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. To turn, lift an edge with a spatula, carefully grab with your fingers and turn over. Transfer to a paper towel to cool. These are SO easy to make but look and taste impressive!
You can also make these with cheddar cheese. Just make sure to keep the layer of cheese thin so they will be crispy. They are also yummy crumbled over a salad.