Burrrrrrrrrr.

Fall has come to Chicago.

It is cold, rainy and super blustery.

It smells like wet leaves and soggy grass and I am SO in love.

I busted out my scarves, jackets, hats and boots and have already made a few different pots of soup. This hearty lasagna soup is perfect for these cold, overcast days – AND, Mikey was obsessed with it (because lets be honest, Mikey is obsessed with anything in a red sauce/Italian seasonings).

Hope you are enjoying your fall so far…go make some soup!

I ended up buying Giada’s noodles at Target because they only had the pre-cooked lasagna noodles. These had wavy edges like a lasagna noodle and I actually loved how they tasted in the soup. When I make this again I will buy a noodle similar to this (it held the sauce inside it and in the ridges) rather than a lasagna noodle. You can experiment with whatever noodle you prefer!

(a small Ditalini would work great too). 

Recipe: Lasagna Soup

Serves 8. Cook time about 1 hour

Ingredients: 

1 Pound Ground Pork

1/2 Cup Diced Onion

1 Green Pepper, Diced

4 Cloves Garlic, Minced

32 Ounces Chicken Broth

1 Can (14.5oz) Diced Tomatoes

1 Can (15oz) Tomato Sauce

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/2 – 1 Teaspoon Salt (to taste)

1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (less if you don’t like spicy)

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

8 Lasagna Noodles OR 1-1 1/2 Cups Noodle of your Choice (1 1/2 cups dried)

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded

Directions:

Brown ground pork in a large pot. Drain if desired, otherwise add onion, green pepper and garlic and saute in meat until tender.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings to pork and tender veggies.

Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes and then reduce heat to a covered simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

While soup simmers bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta. Drain pasta and set aside.

Once soup has simmered and you are ready to serve, add cooked noodles and stir. You can add them all-or you can add them to order. I would recommend adding them just as you’re serving because they get pretty soft if they sit in the leftover soup for too long. I like my noodles to be very al dente-if you like them softer then add them all at once.

Stir in noodles, top with a layer of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Serve with bread and enjoy!

NOTE: You can place soup in an oven-safe bowl and place under broiler if you want to get a nice brown crust on the cheese!