Lasagna Soup

This recipe from my local paper is so good and so simple!

Lasagna Soup

1 lb mild Italian sausage
1/4 of a white onion, diced
1/4 of a green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning
10 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
small curd cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
6 tbsp shredded parmesan
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp crushed red pepper

1. In a large pot, cook first four ingredients until browned, then drain off the fat.
2. Add the next four ingredients.
3. Bring to boiling, then simmer covered for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain.
4. Stir pasta into soup. Mix basil, parmesan, and red pepper flakes together.
5. Spoon cheese into the bottom of soup bowls. Pour in soup. Top with basil/parmesan mixture. Enjoy!

If you have leftovers (which you probably will) just freeze it! You can also freeze the parmesan/pepper/basil mixture to keep the basil fresh between bowls of soup!