Lasagna Soup

Because I'm lucky enough to be home all day with the little man for the next few months, we've been trying to cook meals that make a lot of leftovers so I have quick food for lunch. And food that reheats well.

The little man lives life by the seat of his diaper right now, so some days I might have a leisurely hour for lunch, and other days I reheat the same bowl of soup four times over the course of two hours before I finally get a chance to sit down and eat. (The hubby keeps repeating that quote from A Christmas Story -- "My mother had not had a hot meal for herself in 15 years ...")

Soup. Soup is good.

This recipe is an adaptation of what I think is a Paula Deen recipe. I vaguely recall seeing it on one of her shows, in any case. It really does have a flavor resembling lasagna; I was afraid that it would be too tomato-y and acidic, but the chicken broth and brown sugar do their thing. The original recipe also recommended serving this soup with a big helping of broiled cheese and garlic toast on top (like French Onion soup is served), but I went with just a sprinkling of mozzarella on the steaming soup. I'm trying to regain my girlish figure 'n' all.

Oh, wait. I've never had a girlish figure.

Lasagna Soup
Serves 6

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
32 oz. chicken broth
2 14.5-oz. cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. mafalda (mini lasagna) noodles, or broken lasagna noodles
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
Shredded mozzarella

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, cook hamburger, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until hamburger is browned.

2. Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Add noodles. Simmer until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in parmesan cheese.

5. Serve with shredded mozzarella.