Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Italian sausage, bulk or casings removed
  • 0.5 lb lean ground beef (90/10)
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 24 oz high-quality marinara sauce
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 0.5 cup heavy cream
  • 11 dry lasagna noodles, broken into 1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 0.5 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 0.25 cup fresh basil, chiffonade

Instructions:

  1. Brown the meats. Place your large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the 450g Italian sausage and 225g ground beef. Use your wooden spoon to break them into small crumbles. Let them sit undisturbed for a minute or two at a time to develop a dark, crispy crust on the bottom.
  2. Sauté the aromatics. Once the meat is browned, add the diced onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes. You want the onion to turn translucent and pick up some of those golden meat juices.
  3. Toast the flavor base. Stir in the 4 cloves of minced garlic, 30ml tomato paste, 5ml oregano, and 2.5ml red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes. Watch for the tomato paste to turn a dark mahogany color — this is where the deep flavor lives.
  4. Deglaze the pot. Pour in the 15ml balsamic vinegar. Use your spoon to aggressively scrape all the brown bits (the fond) off the bottom of the pot. Those bits are flavor gold.
  5. Add the liquids. Pour in the 710ml marinara sauce and 1.4 liters chicken broth. Stir well to combine the toasted paste and meat into the liquid.
  6. Simmer the noodles. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Add the 11 broken lasagna noodles. Cook for 10-12 minutes. Note: Stir every few minutes to make sure the noodles don't stick to each other or the bottom of the pot.
  7. Check for doneness. Test a piece of pasta; it should be tender but still have a slight bite (al dente). The broth should now look significantly thicker thanks to the pasta starch.
  8. The creamy finish. Stir in the 120ml heavy cream and remove the pot from the heat immediately. This prevents the cream from curdling and keeps the texture silky.
  9. Prep the cheese crown. While the noodles simmer, mix the 240ml ricotta, 120ml parmesan, 240ml mozzarella, and 60ml fresh basil in a small bowl.
  10. Assemble and serve. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and place a massive dollop of the cheese mixture right in the center. The heat from the soup will melt the mozzarella into long, stretchy strands.