Lighten Up Lasagna Soup

The fifth full day of Spring embraced the greater Philadelphia area with a universally reviled dose of snow.  As I mentioned previously, I am a fan of winter and the weather that goes with it, but a white Easter is not my idea of fun.

The March snow fall got me thinking about what I will miss when warmer weather is finally here to stay.  Soup.  Homemade, hearty, hot soup.  And that is where my list ended.  My mind was made up to enjoy one last bowl of soup while looking out of the window at snow covered branches.

Don't let the name fool ya, this soup is as hearty as they come, in addition to being on the healthier side of the fence.  Accompanied by a shrimp Caesar salad, it filled up my husband, who can pack away more food than makes sense.

 Looks good, right? Make yourself a batch!  It even freezes well if you don't have a crowd to feed.

Ingredients 

Olive oil
1 pound of ground turkey (could sub in sausage or beef)
1 small onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
    * I like my pepper and onion ratio to be 1:1 but this can be modified to your preferences
Minced garlic
   *I use a spoonful, you can use more or less, depending on your tastes
32-ounce container chicken broth
   *Have extra on hand if the soup gets too thick for your liking
15-ounce can tomato sauce
   *You don't want the stuff in the jar
14 1/2-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
About 4 broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
   *I love basil so I use more than this, but this is a reasonable amount for most people
A few shakes of Parmesan cheese
Part Skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt, pepper and other spices to taste
    *If you want a little kick to your soup, add some dried chili flakes

Gather all of your ingredients and follow the steps below!

Method
 

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pot - I use a 6 quart pot.  Add the ground turkey, onion, pepper, and minced garlic. 

2. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is crumbled and browned, about 10 minutes, give or take. 

See the little bit of pink left in the turkey?  Not quite done yet!

 2. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and any additional spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. 

The soup may look a little thin at this point.  Don't worry, the starchy lasagna noodles will thicken it up!

3. Break your lasagna noodles into bite sized pieces and add to the pot.  Bring the soup back to a boil.

4. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender; about 12 minutes.

If you are crazy about basil, like me - add that to your garnish too!

Divide your soup into bowls for serving and garnish with shredded mozzarella.

Dig in!