Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown the beef
- Brown the ground beef in a large pot and drain the fat.
- Brown the meat until no longer pink, then keep it in the pot so the flavor stays in the soup.
Build the tomato base
- Sauté the onion for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
- Cook until the mixture smells fragrant and the tomato paste looks slightly darker at the edges.
Simmer the soup
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes, then bring to a boil.
- Add the broken lasagna noodles and simmer 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Melt the cheeses
- Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the mozzarella and cheddar until fully melted and glossy.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve
- Spoon the soup into bowls and top each serving with a generous ricotta dollop.
- Finish with basil on top of the ricotta.
Notes
Pro tip: keep the heat at low when adding the cheeses so the mozzarella melts smoothly instead of becoming grainy. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove until hot. Freeze yes (without topping), then thaw and reheat; add fresh cheese and ricotta when serving for best texture. For a lighter option, use 90% lean ground beef and swap part-skim mozzarella.