Vegetable Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped, 1 1/2 cups
• 1 1/2 cups diced carrots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 1/2 Tbsp
• 1 carton low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, chopped
• 1 medium yellow squash, ends trimmed, chopped
• 5 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary, crushed
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces, see important note
• 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, optional
• 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
• 8 oz ricotta cheese

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot, and cook, stirring now and then, until they’ve softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and let it cook for 1 minute more.
2. Pour in the broth, water, tomatoes, and tomato sauce, then add the zucchini, squash, mushrooms, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sugar. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Bring the pot to a boil, stir in the pasta, or cook the pasta separately if you’re using the notes, then lower the heat to medium low.
3. Put the lid on and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally and nudging loose any noodles catching on the bottom, until the pasta is tender, about 10 – 13 minutes. While that happens, combine the mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta in a mixing bowl, adding a light pinch of salt to taste.
4. Stir the spinach into the soup and let it warm just until it wilts, about 30 seconds. Ladle the soup into bowls while it’s warm, top each serving with spoonfuls of the cheese mixture, swirl it in lightly so it melts, and add parsley if you’d like.