I’ve been wanting to try out a skinny version of lasagna soup for quite sometime now, but summer didn’t really seem like the right time to make it. But lucky for me, we’ve had a few days of cooler temperatures here in Chicago. Nothing too wild, but it’ll get into the 60s at night and for me, that’s perfect the soup temperature!
Lasagna reminds me of my mom. Anytime we went to an Italian restaurant when we were younger that was her go-to dish. Understandably, it’s hard to argue with pasta, ground pork sausage, marinara and cheese, right?
I wanted to lighten the soup up a bit from it’s traditional self. Instead of using pork sausage, I switched it up with Jennie O Extra Lean ground turkey and added a healthy dose of fennel seed and red pepper to achieve the same flavor.
I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. The fennel seed is definitely the key ingredient in this dish and the mushrooms made it extra hearty without being too heavy.
I did make the mistake of adding the noodles directly to the soup and I didn’t eat it all. Not it’s all a little mushy, but still equally as delicious!
This is going to be on heavy rotation for fall dinners! Got any other great soup recipes I need to know about? I’m truly a soup fiend in the fall.
SKINNY LASAGNA SOUP
Notes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup white onion, diced
- 8oz. mushrooms, sliced (I used a combo of button and baby bella)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 lb. ground lean turkey, Jennie O Extra Lean
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 – 14oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-6 cups low sodium chicken broth (I started with 5 and added more because it got too stew-like)
- 2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan
- 2 cups dry whole wheat fusilli noodles
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- S&P to taste
- 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1/3 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella
- pinch of salt
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. When hot add onions and mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes.
- Add oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, garlic and ground turkey. Stir to break up big chunks of meat and brown meat until there is no pink left.
- Add tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, bay leaf and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, stir in parmesan simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ricotta and mozzarella and mix well. Set aside.
- If you plan on eating all the soup that night, add the noodles into the soup and bring heat up. Cook until noodles are al dente. If you want to freeze some of the soup, continue to simmer the soup for another 10 minutes without the noodles in it. Cook noodles in a separate pot and add them to each bowl before ladling the soup over the top. The noodles get soggy if left in the broth!
- Remove bay leaf before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Top each bowl of soup with a spoonful of the cheese mixture and fresh basil, if desired.
