Lasagne Soup

Rachel Payas is a Gibraltarian food enthusiast and blogger, and self confessed ‘girl obsessed with food’.

Known on social media as Blurred Limes, Ms Payas is also known for her ability to fuse different foods and create dishes that make others want to get in the kitchen.

Her food is known for bringing comfort, the feeling of being nourished and an overall general satisfaction.
This week's dish is lasagne soup.

Her recipes will appear monthly in the Chronicle.

Follow her foodie adventures https://www.facebook.com/blurredlimesgib on both Facebook and Instagram.

The cold weather is well and truly setting in. At the first signs of rain, I usually revert to one of my favourite meals, soup. Being so easy to make and quite guilt free too, it’s a staple at home during the winter months. I usually like my soups hearty and chunky, filled with comforting bits and pieces of meat and veg. Nothing however, beats a gorgeously luxurious lasagne on a winters day. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a disaster or not, but I decided to experiment wildly and fuse both meals together. Thankfully, it was a hit. Here’s my soul nourishing and indulgent recipe for my one pot lasagne soup.

To serve a large pot to feed the entire family you will need;
A glug of olive oil
500g minced beef
1 box of dried lasagne sheets
1.5 litres of beef stock
1 small jar of pasta sauce
2 tins chopped tomatoes
200ml double cream
2tbs mixed Italian herbs
200g ricotta cheese
2 handfuls of grated cheese
Salt and pepper

1. Put your largest pot over a very high heat and add a glug of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in 500g of minced beef and brown well.
2. Season your beef with a sprinkling of mixed Italian herbs and add in your small jar of your favourite pasta sauce, followed by 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and 1.5 litres of beef stock. It’s important to note that this recipe can easily be veganised. Swap out your stock for veggie stock and your beef for a couple of tins of lentils.
3. Now for the fun part! Something to get the kids involved in. You will need to break up a whole box of lasagne sheets into small chunks of different sizes. Get snapping and add straight into your bubbling soup mixture along with the remainder of your herbs.
4. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, stirring very regularly to ensure the pasta doesn’t get stuck together.
5. In the meantime, you can get on with your cheese topping. In a small bowl combine 200g of ricotta cheese and a few handfuls of your favourite grated cheese (I used Edam and cheddar) to form a paste. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Once your soup has been boiling away for around 10 mins and the pasta has totally softened, turn off the heat and add in 200ml of double cream. Use vegan cream and cheese to adapt the recipe. You will also want to taste the soup at this point for seasoning. I find it is usually salty enough (I might add a dash of Worcestershire sauce or chilli flakes for an extra umami kick) but plenty of freshly cracked black pepper is a must.
7. Mix everything up well and serve in a bowl with a big dollop of your cheese mix and top with some fresh parsley or basil. Enjoy!