Lasagna Soup

I made this lasagna soup courtesy of Baked Bree a few weeks ago.  Didn't get a single picture, apologies for that.  It was delicious! I took a few shortcuts based on what I had in the pantry, so please go to Baked Bree's site and get the original version as well.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
3 cups chopped onion
garlic powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock (I made mine with chicken boullion cubes)
1/2 pound cooked fusilli noodles
dried basil
salt and pepper


Cheese topping:
Parmesan & mozzarella cheese to taste
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and brown for 5 minutes.

Add the onions and cook until soft.
Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
Add the tomato paste.
Let the tomato paste cook for a few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken stock (or water and boullion cubes).
Bring the soup to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. At the end, season with salt and pepper and add the basil.
When you are ready to serve your soup, add a good handful of pasta to the bottom of the bowl.
Add the soup to the bowl. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Light Potato Soup

This recipe was a light version of potato soup, one of my husband's favorite restaurant soups.  I think it tasted kind of like a big bowl of thin mashed potatoes. 

Courtesy of Prevention RD

Loaded Potato Soup from Cooking Light

4 (6-ounce) red potatoes (I used about 7 small russet potatoes)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% milk, divided (I used 1/2 skin, 1/2 whole)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3 turkey bacon slices, halved
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tsp thinly sliced green onions (omitted since we didn't have any on hand)

Directions:

Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil SLOWLY (you don’t want the milk to curdle!). Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.

Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.

Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon. Yield: 4 servings (about 1 1/4 cup each).