Lasagna Soup with Fresh Spinach ♥ Recipe

Lasagna Soup with Fresh Spinach, a healthy hearty soup, high protein. For Weight Watchers, just #PP4.
graphic button small size size 10 Today's hearty soup recipe: Homemade lasagna in a bowl, all the flavors, but for post-holiday dieters like me, skipping the cheese. (No missing it, promise.) Weight Watchers 4 PointsPlus. graphic button small size size 10

The new year is a sort of relief, isn't it? Not so much that last year was so bad (for me, though I know was a hard-hard year for many) but because it just feels sooo good to leave behind the too-much, too-rich, too-sweet, too-tempting foods that are hallmarks of the holidays. I've made soup every day this week, broth-based soups packed with vegetables and protein and nutrients. A cup at a time, they are reviving my holiday-logged body and spirit, preparing me for the fullness of the new year.

PLUS I'm cleaning out the basement freezer and the pantry! So when I spied the recipe for "Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup" in one of my favorite cookbooks from 2009, The Spice Kitchen, I knew that I'd skip the cheese and amp up the spinach. Better still, it was a great way to use up odd scraps of lasagna noodles that seem to collect.

Tis all a relief, for sure, shedding the excess, living with what's on hand.

COMPLIMENTS!
"I made this tonight & it was excellent." ~ Pat W.
"I made this tonight, and my husband and I both had seconds!" ~ Foodie Patootie
"We have made this twice in the last five days and I LOVE it!" ~ Duckworth Family
"Easy, fast, delicious, and filling. I will make it again." ~ Karen
"... it was a WINNER! Definitely will make it again!" ~ Kay

LASAGNA SOUP with FRESH SPINACH

Hands-on time: 30 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 8 cups

4 cups chicken broth, brought to a boil in the microwave (see ALANNA's TIPS)

1 pound ground turkey or ground beef (I used ground elk, Note to Vegetarians)
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons basil (see TIPS)
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon anise seed
15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
15 ounces canned tomato sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

2 ounces broken bits of lasagna noodles or another pasta (see TIPS)
8 ounces fresh spinach, chopped (see TIPS)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, break up the ground meat and cook it with the onion until fully cooked. (See TIPS.) Add the garlic, spices, tomatoes and sauce and hot broth and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. (If making ahead, stop here, let cool and refrigerate until ready to serve. Return to a boil.)

Drop in the pasta and let cook until just done. Just before serving, stir in the spinach and let cook through for just a minute or two. Serve and savor!

ALANNA'S TIPS
TIME-SAVER Bringing the broth to a boil beforehand is a time-saving step but can be skipped if there's no hurry.
LASAGNA SPICES Use an Italian seasoning mix to substitute for any of the spices, especially the anise which is critical to achieving the 'Italian' essence of lasagna.
HOW MUCH PASTA? Two ounces of pastas seems like 'nothing' when you first make the soup. But once it sits awhile, it will soak up liquid and almost take over the soup. If using lasagna noodles, break the pieces up really small so they'll distribute more evenly.
PASTA FOR DIETERS For dieters hesitant to use any pasta at all, I think the soup would be quite delicious without it or you might use Dreamsfields pasta, the low-glycemic (low-carb) pasta that tastes good!
"BURN" THE MEAT Don't hesitate to let a little "burn" gather on the meat, it adds flavor; to do this, stir less often, letting chunks of meat brown well before turning over.
SUBSTITUTIONS The inspiring recipe called for a pound of ground Italian sausage, a cup of mini farfalle pasta (orzo or another mini pasta would work too), only 8 ounces of tomato sauce (I couldn't bear to put another partial something back into the fridge). At the end, 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella were added with the spinach and the bowls were topped with 1/2 cup of fresh Parmesan.



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from A Veggie Venture

© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2010 & 2015 (repub)
Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. This soup looks great! I make a mean pizza soup but have never attempted lasagna soup. Have to find some new gluten free pasta for this one. I've never had elk either but I do enjoy buffalo and ostrich. Off to the kitchen now to look for these ingredients!

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  2. Alanna, this soup sounds and looks so delicious and filling. Perfect for a post-holiday meal and to take the chill off of a cold winter night. Plan to try to with ground turkey. YUM. Thank you.

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  3. This looks fantastic! I adore soup (and anything I can eat out of a bowl, really), so finding one with a bit of oomph like this is rather exciting. Thank you!

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  4. Just got done reading recipe and showing picture of same to Hubby. When I mentioned the Italian sausage substitution, even though he had just consumed a better part of a large pizza, he said that it did indeed sound good!
    You can't get higher praise than that for a football watching, me interrupting during said game, and a comment from said husband!
    I need to get stove fixed so I can cook up a 'BIG' pot of soup! Little electric burner just doesn't get the job done!
    Alanna, please, more of these recipes!
    And double thanks for the diabetic nod for the pasta. You are an Angel!
    Huggs, Cait

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  5. I made this tonight & it was excellent. I had planned on trying it with turkey Italian sausage but since our local grocery was out, I went with the plain ground turkey instead. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't have the sausage, because this version was exactly right. Thank you! (My husband thanks you to.)

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  6. Oops, typo in above post. Should have been "too". But as long as I'm here again, I'll mention that I was nervous about using the anise & even wondered if it should have said fennel. The anise was perfect. Not overpowering, just added the perfect touch to the seasoning. Thank you again.

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  7. I made this tonight, and my husband and I both had seconds! I used 3 links of Raw Italian Chicken Sausage from Whole Foods; Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes; 5 oz. of fresh organic spinach instead of 8 oz.; and for the pasta I used up the last of a box of Ezeliel Sprouted Grain Penne (gluten-free and cooks in 4-5 minutes)and WOW! This is a "Keeper" recipe for sure. Warming, soothing, filling, quick and easy, and *very* yummy.... and it was ready to eat in 35 minutes! We'll have more tomorrow, and freeze the rest for another meal. Thank you Alanna!

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  8. You are right - much as I miss the holidays, you do breathe a sneaky sigh of relief!! This soup looks so good - and WOW, it's that easy??

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  9. Your recipes just look yummy yummy! I've left an award for your over at my blog:
    http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/2010/01/being-honest-award.html

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  10. I've been dying to try this with some italian soysage and veggie broth for the vegetarian in my life. It's looks delicious! I bet leftovers for lunch at work would be pretty tasty too....

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  11. Thank you thank you thank you!! We have made this twice in the last five days and I LOVE it! We had company last Saturday and I made it pretty close to your recipe (used an italian spice mix) but then today wanted to lower the points. Did a little tweaking, STLL loved it and posted it on my sister-in-laws recipe blog
    http://kissthecook3.blogspot.com/2010/01/lasagna-spinach-soup.html
    (hope it's okay I used yoru picture! Don't worry I cited you!)
    Again THANK YOu so much! I also shared your website with my WW peeps at our meeting yesterday. HOpefully they check it out!

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  12. I thought of this soup when my daughter mentioned that her boyfriend had made lasagna soup.

    I never think of anise in Italian cooking. Fennel, but not anise.

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  14. Looking forward to making this.

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  15. Sounds good. I'd use turkey Italian sausage and I'm afraid I would have to have some cheese!

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  16. This is great soup. Easy, fast, delicious, and filling. I will make it again.

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  17. Made this last night (actually the hubs did) and it was a WINNER! Definitely will make it again!

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  18. Kalyn ~ Thanks! Love your choices!

    Karen ~ So glad! Thanks for letting me know!

    Kay ~ Extra glad! Thanks for letting me know!

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  19. I love soups and make many throughout the year and this soup by far is one of the most delicious!

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  20. I made the lasagna soup for the second time this evening. Absolutely delicious recipe and one I will keep making :)

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  21. I made this for dinner last night. LOVED it. I’ve never thought of using anise seeds in anything. They added such a nice touch. Topped with a bit of cheese, it made an excellent dinner.

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna