Ree Drummond's Lasagna Soup

Ree made this on the Today show and it looked like a wonderful comfort meal --this past weekend with temps dipping into the 30's it was perfect. The ricotta dumplings were perfect with it! I ended up halving the recipe but used the full can of tomatoes (14.5 oz).

• Soup
  • 12 uncooked lasagna noodles
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced oregano
  • 1 tablespoon minced thyme
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound hot breakfast sausage ( I used hot italian sausage)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup white wine or stock
  • One 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice
  • 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Ricotta "Dumplings"
  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon minced parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1
    For the soup:
    1. Break the lasagna noodles into random smaller pieces. Cook the noodles about 1 minute less than the package directions, until almost tender. Drain and set aside.
    2. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and thyme and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the ground beef, sausage, salt, and pepper and sauté until the meat is fully cooked, breaking it up as you go, about 5 minutes. Drain off at least half of the grease.
    3. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Let the tomato paste cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up any flavorful little bits. Add the tomatoes and their juice, crushing them with the spoon as you stir them in. Add the stock and stir it in then add the parsley.
    4. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Pour in the cream and stir to combine. Add the noodles and let them simmer for 5 minutes while you make the ricotta mixture.
    For the ricotta "dumplings":
    In a bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and stir until combined.
    To serve:
    Dish up bowls of soup, sprinkle with a little extra parsley, and add a dollop of ricotta (or two or three) to the top of each one!
    /2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper