Tastes like Lasagna Soup

Norris' school had a soup luncheon as their staff Christmas celebration and at the last minute he realized he needed to bring soup. I was not in the store going mood and looked through the cabinets for something I could put together and realized I had most of the ingredients for the lasagna soup idea I've seen floating around the web. I really liked this, but not so much as leftovers because the noodles were soggy. This would be a great soup for a get together when it will all be eaten OR leave the cooked noodles out until you are ready to reheat and add them then. The flavor really reminded me of lasagna and I can imagine that if you follow the instructions about topping with cheese and broiling it, you would have pretty much a lasagna replica, but done in much less time than lasagna! Check out the recipe link for her broiling and garlic crostini suggestions!

This is how I sent it: soup in crockpot, cooked noodles in bag to add just before serving, and shredded mozzarella on the side for topping.

Tastes like Lasagna Soup

from Paula Deen

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (I left these out)
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups broken lasagna noodles
• 1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 
  

Cook meat, onion, bell pepper, and garlic over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.