Every Wednesday during the winter, my office does one of my favorite things — Soup Group.
That’s where I discovered this hearty Lasagna Soup recipe.
What’s Soup Group? It’s a wonderful, informal lunch gathering where one (or two) people from my office bring a crock pot of soup to share with others on the team. We rotate who brings soup each week, so you only bring a crockpot of soup once during the winter and get numerous (free) soup lunches provided by colleagues on other Wednesday.
The group’s motto is that all soup is good soup. It can be homemade or store-bought. Hot or cold (like Gazpacho). Salty, spicy or sweet. As long as it’s soup, it’s good.
Soup Group is great because of the tasty soups and free lunches, but the real reason it’s one of my favorites is because it connects people.
Food is a wonderful connector. No matter what your background, everyone eats.
I’ve learned a lot about colleagues by what type of soup they decide to bring — some like broth-based soups and others like creamy soups. It has also stretched me out of my comfort zone, and that’s a good thing. I’ve eaten a lot of soups I never would have made or ordered from a restaurant, but every single soup has been fantastic. All of them.
I probably wouldn’t have discovered this hearty Lasagna Soup recipe on my own, but I’m glad my colleague shared it.
This is a hearty soup that will fill you up. Serve it with a thick, crusty piece of bread and you’ll have a great dinner.
I hope you like it.
P.S. If connecting with work colleagues is on your to-do list, consider starting a soup group. You won’t be disappointed.
Lasagna Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground ground beef grass fed
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 32 oz box chicken broth
- 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups lasagna noodles broken into small pieces
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded (as a topping)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, saute the onions, green bell pepper, and garlic. Add the ground beef and cook over medium-high heat until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well (if needed) and transfer mixture to a large pot (or crock pot).
- Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes,stewed 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.
- If you're serving from a crockpot (like Soup Group), place soup in crockpot on low setting until serving.
Recipe slightly modified from Paula Deen’s Tastes Like Lasagna Soup.