Lasagna Soup

It's been chilly here in Houston, so I decided to make a big bowl pot of soup for the both of us. I recently came across this Lasagna soup recipe and made the soup since it has so many great reviews. The soup was fantastic, but next time I'm going halve the amount of noodles because I think the noodles soaked up too much liquid when I had leftovers.

Lasagna Soup

(Source: Food Network)

Kosher salt

8 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into pieces (about 10 noodles) (next time: halve the amount)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 onion, chopped

1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus thinly sliced leaves for topping

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for sprinkling, optional)

1/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Ricotta cheese, for topping

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as the label directs. Drain; drizzle with olive oil and toss. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and 1 cup water; cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Stir in the noodles, basil, parmesan and heavy cream; simmer 2 more minutes. Divide the soup among bowls. Top with ricotta and sliced basil.