Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Brown the meats
- Heat 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large Dutch oven, then brown the Italian sausage and ground beef together until cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Drain excess fat before continuing.
Build the tomato base
- Add the diced onion to the pot and sauté for 4 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Simmer the soup
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, then bring to a boil. Visual cue: bubbles should rapidly break the surface across the pot.
Cook the noodles
- Add the broken lasagna noodles and simmer until tender, 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally so the noodles don’t stick.
Season and prep cheese topping
- Season the soup generously with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust until the flavor pops.
- Mix the whole milk ricotta, shredded mozzarella, and parmesan with fresh basil in a bowl until well combined. Visual cue: the mixture should be thick and evenly speckled with basil.
Serve
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a very large, heaping spoonful of the cheese mixture. Serve immediately so the cheese begins to melt into the hot broth.
Notes
Pro tip: drain excess fat after browning so the broth stays rich but not greasy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth if needed. Freezing is not recommended because the noodle texture can soften further. For a lighter option, swap half the ricotta for part-skim ricotta to reduce fat while keeping the cheesy topping.