Lasagna Soup

The weather has cooled off & winter is upon us!  In this house, that means it's time to make soup!  This lasagna soup is a new favorite this year.  Usually, I take my own photos & show you step my step how to make the recipe.  But (as you might have noticed by the lack of posts) I have become insanely busier now that Miss Hannah is in kindergarten.  I'm running, running, running all day long.  We're still having a blast cooking together, I just don't get to take photo's & blog about it as much.  With that said, let me be clear-  these are not my pictures!  Here is the website where I originally found the recipe & with it, these wonderful photos:  A Farm Girl's Dabbles.  I changed the recipe to suite my family's tastes, but you should definitely check out how she makes hers too.  Either way, this is some yummy stuff!  If you like lasagna, then you are going to love this soup!
Ingredients:
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1, 28 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1, 6 oz can Tomato Paste
4 cups of Water
3 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
2 tsp Granulated Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

8 oz of Pasta (I recommend elbow, fusilli, or mafalda) cooked al dente & drained

8 oz Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Directions:
In a large dutch oven or pot, drizzle a bit of olive oil & heat to med-high heat.  Add in the ground beef & season with a little salt & pepper.  Stir to break up the meat.  When the meat starts to brown, turn the heat to medium & add in the onion.  Cook until the meat is no longer pink & the onion is soft.  Add in the garlic & cook 1-2 minutes.  Add in the dried herbs & garlic, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, & water. Stir to combine.  Taste & adjust seasonings as needed.  Allow soup to simmer while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. 
In a small bowl, combine the Ricotta & Parmesan cheeses.  Season with a little salt & pepper, then set aside. 
When you are ready to serve, add the cooked & drained pasta & the fresh parsley to the soup.  (You don't want to add the pasta too soon or it will become mushy!)  Stir well to combine. 
To serve, place a large dollop of the Ricotta & Parmesan mixture in the bottom of each soup bowl.  Sprinkle mozzarella on then ladle the hot soup over top.  Yummmmm!! 
This recipe makes 8 servings.