Crockpot Lasagna Soup

I made my very favorite soup today! Even my picky three year old ate it and LOVED it, and everyone else had two or more bowls, so it was a hit! I originally got the recipe here, but I made a few changes and switch it up to make it a crock pot recipe. There's something wonderful about being able to throw ingredients in a pot and walk away while dinner cooks itself!!

The original recipe calls for Italian sausage, but I couldn't find any so I used sage instead. I also accidentally only bought one package of it, so I only used 1 lb instead of 1 1/2. Oops! It was still so yummy and full of sausage, but I do think I'll use the extra 1/2 lb next time. I also used Italian herb tomato paste instead of regular, and a whole can instead of only 2 tablespoons. We're Italian, so more tomatoes and herbs are good, right??

So, here's the recipe! Enjoy it and let it warm your homes and your tummies this fall and winter!

Crock Pot Lasagna Soup:

- 2 tsp olive oil

- 1 1/2 lb sage sausage

- 3 cups chopped onion

- 4 tsp minced garlic

- 2 tsp dried oregano

- 1 can Italian herb tomato paste

- 2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tsp dried basil

- 6 cups chicken stock

- 1 box bow tie pasta

- salt and pepper to taste

- 15 oz ricotta cheese

- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes. Break the sausage up into small pieces as it cooks. Next, add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Let me just say I found the coolest tool for food prep! (Please excuse the clutter, we're remodelling the pantry!) This is what I used to chop my onions: 

It took all of about 10 seconds to chop these onions y'all!! I usually hate food prep, so this is a big deal for me. :) You can get one of these super awesome gadgets right here. Now after you cook down the onions, add the garlic, oregano, and tomato paste. Mix these thoroughly and move them into your handy dandy crockpot! Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves, basil, and chicken stock to the crockpot as well and cook for 4 hours on high. 

Your house is going to smell AMAZING!!

When you're just about ready to serve your soup, cook your noodles on the stove, drain, and add them to your soup. 

Now for the most important part! The writer of the recipe I'm adapting from called this the "cheesy yum" and they were SO RIGHT! Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses together in a separate bowl. Mine looked like this:

It's all ready for serving! Put a nice bit of the cheesy yum in your bowl and spoon the soup over it. The cheese gets all gooey and melty and delicious, and brings a wonderful creaminess to the soup. This is quite possibly the best soup ever and easily feeds 8 people, give or take a bit. Enjoy this warm and hearty treat!!