Lasagna Soup

Do recipes with lots of ingredients scare you? I hope not! Cause this one has a lot, but it's really not hard and it's worth every one of those delicious little ingredients. I adapted the recipe from one I found on A Farm Girl's Dabbles a few years ago. We've made it several times and we love it. This last time I perfected it to my liking by reducing the Italian sausage and adding the black-eyed peas. Yum. I mean double or triple yum. It totally rocks my socks (even though I really don't know what that means).

I like to keep the pasta separate from the soup so the pasta stays a nice texture when you add it to the soup (otherwise it tends to just absorb and get soggy...ugh). Plus kids always seem to be happier when they see their bowls fill up with plain noodles first and then soup. Don't ask me why. It's a kid thing I guess. Don't leave out the cheesy topping. It's the best. I like to stir it in so the cheese gets all melty and delicious. Mmmh. I'm dreaming of eating a bowl of this soup right this very minute.

Lasagna Soup {Pressure Cooker Recipe}
Printable Recipe

*Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. Italian Sausage
3 Cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Cup dried black-eyed peas
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (or use 1 Quart home canned tomatoes)
2 bay leaves
7 Cups chicken stock
16 oz. bow tie (or other flat) pasta
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1/2 Cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of black pepper
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Heat pressure cooker on medium heat (or brown setting for electric pressure cookers). Add sausage, breaking up into bite sized pieces and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the paste turns rusty brown. Add black-eyed peas, tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir well. Then lock pressure cooker lid in place and heat to high pressure, cooking for 15 minutes. Release the pressure naturally.

Meanwhile, while the soup is cooking, cook bow tie pasta in a separate pan according to package directions until al dente (being careful not to overcook).

Prepare the cheese mixture by combining in a small bowl the ricotta and Parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of black pepper. Set aside.

When the pressure has released completely, open lid carefully stir and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

To serve, add a scoop of cooked pasta to each bowl and top with  a ladle or two of soup. Add a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture and sprinkle some grated mozzarella on the very top. You can also sprinkle some chopped fresh basil on top of the cheese if you want, it makes it yummy if you happen to have some on hand.

Recipe Source: Adapted from A Farm Girl's Dabbles