RECIPE: Lasagna Soup

I love this original recipe for Lasagna soup but when we were able to get Ragu pasta sauce on sale for $.37 a jar a few months ago, I really wanted to utilize it in recipes other than the classic spaghetti, lasagna or pizza dishes. So of course I tweaked this recipe to make it more palatable for my family and this is what I came up with:

Lasagna Soup
1 onion finely diced $.88
1 teaspoon olive oil $.05
2 cloves garlic finely minced $.06
choice of meat (ground beef, Italian sausage, meatballs...) $2.00
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups jarred spaghetti sauce $.37
4 cups chicken (or vegetable or beef) stock $1.00
2 bay leaves $.03
8 oz pasta (Rotini, Fusilli, Campanelle,Corkscrew) $.50
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
shredded Mozzarella cheese $.50

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil to medium heat and saute onion until golden. Add garlic and warm through about 1 minute before adding your choice of meat. Brown the meat, remove any extra fat. Add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, spaghetti sauce, chicken stock and bay leaves. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add pasta and increase heat to bring to a boil and cook for recommended time on pasta box for "al dente". Discard bay leaves and adjust seasonings by adding salt & pepper. Stir in fresh parsley and serve with a sprinkling of shredded Mozzarella cheese.

This is really yummy and super easy. It's a great way to use jarred spaghetti sauces other than classic preparations.

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap