Famous Lasagna Soup

💡 Pro Tips

• ✓
  Brown ground beef or Italian sausage in batches without overcrowding the pot, leaving at least 1 inch between clusters, so the meat sears via the Maillard reaction (starts around 300°F) instead of steaming in its own released moisture.technique300°F
• ✓
  Add the broken lasagna noodles directly into the simmering soup only during the last 10-12 minutes of cooking, since prolonged simmering in acidic tomato broth breaks down starches and causes noodles to turn mushy and release excess starch that clouds the broth.timing10-12 minutes
• ✓
  Deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup red wine or broth after browning the meat and before adding tomatoes, scraping up the fond (browned bits) which contains concentrated Maillard flavor compounds that would otherwise be wasted.technique1/2 cup
• ✓
  Use a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan swirled in at the end rather than during cooking, because ricotta's proteins coagulate and become grainy above 175°F if boiled for extended periods.ingredient175°F
• ✓
  If reheating leftovers, add a splash of broth (about 1/4 cup per bowl) since the noodles continue absorbing liquid at roughly 1.5x their volume overnight, leaving the soup thicker than intended.timing1/4 cup per bowl