1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt, divided
1 ¼ tsp garlic powder, divided
½ tsp ground black pepper, divided
2 tsp avocado oil
¾ pound lean ground beef
½ pound ground Italian turkey sausage
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp no-salt-added tomato paste
1 (24-oz) jar tomato-basil pasta sauce
½ tsp dried crushed oregano
7 cups low-sodium beef broth
10 lasagna noodles, broken into pieces
3 cups baby spinach, torn or chopped
Yield: Approximately 12 cups of soup and 1 cup ricotta mixture.
Combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a ¼ teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a small bowl. Stir well to combine, cover, and refrigerate until serving.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, sausage, and onion and cook 6 minutes, or until meat is browned, stirring to crumble beef and sausage. Drain any excess fat from pan. Season beef mixture with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. *
Spoon beef mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, oregano, and broth. Stir gently to combine. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 4 to 6 hours.
Add lasagna noodles to slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 25 minutes or until noodles are tender. Remove lid and reduce heat to LOW. Gently stir in spinach until just wilted.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top with 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Gently stir to incorporate ricotta mixture into soup.
* Stovetop Directions
In Step 2, sauté the ground beef, sausage, and onion in a large Dutch oven or saucepan as directed. Keep beef mixture in pan after draining and seasoning. In Step 3, add tomato paste, tomato sauce, oregano, and broth to pan and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a low simmer, reducing heat to medium-low if needed, and cook 10 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced. In Step 4, add lasagna noodles, cover, and cook 20 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat to low and remove lid. Gently stir in spinach until just wilted.
