Ingredients (~6 servings)

1 lb ground Italian sausage or ground beef

1 small onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups tomato sauce or marinara

4 cups beef or vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup heavy cream

10 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces

4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Diamond Crystal kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Ricotta cheese, for garnish

Sauté Meat & Aromatics

In a large Dutch oven pot over medium-high heat, add ground beef or sausage. Break it into small chunks with the help of a spoon as it cooks.

When the meat is browned, drain the excess grease.

Next, turn the heat down to medium. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 3–4 minutes until soft; then add minced garlic and continue cooking for about 1 minute or until fragrant.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2–3 minutes. This will cook out any raw taste from the tomato paste and develop a rich, deep tomato flavor.

Simmer Soup

To the pot, add the broth, tomato sauce, water, and heavy cream; mix well.

Add the broken pieces of lasagna noodles into the broth; mix again.

Bring the pot to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10–12 minutes until the lasagna noodles reach al dente consistency. Stir occasionally to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Finish Soup

When the noodles are cooked, stir in the spinach and mozzarella cheese, cooking for an additional 2–3 minutes until the spinach wilts and the cheese melts.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of ricotta.