If you have been following My Utensil Crock for a while, you know that I have been a member of a Cooking Club for more than 10 years now, ever since my buddy JBM and I decided that cooking with friends and talking about food and recipes would be the perfect way to spend one Sunday each month.

One of our classic themes was “Soup’s On!” (Hostess: me; Theme: Soup’s On!; Date: 12.07.08). Every dish of the 6-course menu was a soup or stew. The menu included Roasted Tomato Soup with Bruschetta Croutons, Beef and Red Wine Stew, Seafood Bisque, Berry Dessert Soup, and Mascarpone Brioche Sandwiches with Chocolate Soup {THE BEST! need to blog this soon}. The “pasta course” soup, was this dish. Formerly known as “Lasagna Soup,” re-named for my adjustments, and because “Lasagna Soup” isn’t the most appetizing, this One-Pot Stovetop Lasagna Ragu with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage is just what you need to get through this last cold snap. Do you hear that, weather? Last. Cold. Snap.

This dish is a meal unto itself. Protein, fresh veggies, and the *tiniest* shell pasta I have ever seen.

SO tiny. But they plumped up quite a bit when they were simmered in chicken broth. While I’m on that note, the original recipe was more soup-like, using an extra cup of broth. I like this recipe more as a ragu-pasta-bowl-of-awesome, and love it the next day after even more liquid is absorbed.

This is a great dish to make for dinner one night and have the leftovers for lunch later in the week. I think you would also love finding a serving or two in your freezer – I know I would!

I used sweet Italian chicken sausage, but the original recipe called for turkey sausage. So I think this recipe would be great with any sausage you choose. But Italian varieties (chicken, turkey, or pork) will probably have the best flavor profile for this dish.

Is this “lasagna”? No. But it is all of the layers you love in lasagna, assembled in no time at all. Under half an hour. Like 25 minutes.  One pot, one cutting board, one knife. I zest mozzarella over the top of mine. As you may recall, I like cheese, I don’t love cheese. If you love cheese, add a few bocconcini, sliced in half, to your warm bowlful (bowl full? how is “bowlful” a word?) when you are ready to serve.

One-Pot Stovetop Lasagna Ragu with Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: myutensilcrock.com

Recipe type: Soup, Stew

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet chicken italian sausage (raw)
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in to thin coins
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 leaves fresh basil, 4 chopped and 4 sliced into ribbons
• 1 t fresh oregano, chopped
• .5 t red pepper flakes
• .25 t kosher salt
• a few cranks of freshly ground pepper
• 3 c low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 14 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 c tomato sauce
• 1 c uncooked small pasta shells (I used De Cecco brand, size 52)
• 2 c fresh spinach or baby spinach, chopped
• mozzarella for zesting
• grated parmesan for topping

Instructions

1. Heat a dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat.
2. Remove the raw sausage from any casing and add it to the pan (no oil needed), breaking it up and cooking until browned.
3. Add the onion and carrots and cook until they are softened.
4. Add the garlic, the chopped basil (reserving the rest of the basil for topping), oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the broth, diced tomatoes (including liquid), and tomato sauce.
6. Bring the pot to a boil and add the pasta.
7. Reduce heat and simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 10 minutes.
8. Add the spinach and stir, cooking until wilted - about 1 minute.
9. It's ready! Top with mozzarella, parmesan, and basil ribbons when you are ready to serve.

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