Lasagna Soup

Very slightly adapted from Our Best Bites.

2 tsp. olive oil
1-1/2 lbs. Italian sausage
3 C. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, optional
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
28-oz. can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
2 bay leaves
6 C. chicken broth
8 oz. cooked pasta, such as fusilli (corkscrew), mafalda (ribbon), or farfalle (bow-tie)
1/2 C. chopped fresh basil OR 1 heaping Tbsp. dried basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

8 oz. cottage cheese
1/2 C. shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
dash black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Use spatula to break sausage up into bite-sized pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. If using dried basil, add it at this point. Cook for about one minute, until fragrant. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.

Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. If using fresh basil, stir into soup right before serving.

In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

To serve, place a generous dollop of the cottage cheese mixture in each soup bowl. Add spoonful of cooked pasta, and then ladle the hot soup over the pasta. Let soup sit for a minute to melt the cheese on the bottom of the bowl. If desired, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

Notes: As suggested in the recipe, I use sweet turkey sausage. Take the sausage out of the casing before cooking. I use a knife to cut the casing down the middle and then just drop the sausage into the pan. The original recipe called for 8 oz. ricotta cheese instead of 8 oz. cottage cheese. I don't like the taste of ricotta cheese, so I substituted the cottage cheese (I think it's less expensive, too!). The first time I made this soup I used farfalle pasta. Farfalle pasta doesn't really hold the soup, so I tried penne pasta the next time. The penne was hard to eat with a spoon. Next time I make this soup I will probably try shells.