A comforting Italian soup with pasta, tomato broth, cheese, and punchy sun-dried tomato tapenade.
# Components:
→ Soup Base
01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
07 - 1 teaspoon dried basil
08 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
09 - 1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 - 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
11 - 4 cups vegetable broth
12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - Salt, to taste
14 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Pasta & Cheese
15 - 8 lasagne noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces
16 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
17 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
18 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
→ Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade
19 - 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
20 - 1/4 cup pitted black olives
21 - 1 tablespoon capers, drained
22 - 1 small garlic clove
23 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
24 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
25 - Zest of 1 lemon
26 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
# Method:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables are softened.
02 - Stir in minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Incorporate tomato paste and cook for 1 minute while stirring. Add crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
04 - Add broken lasagne noodles to the pot. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente.
05 - While soup simmers, combine drained sun-dried tomatoes, pitted olives, capers, garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon zest, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped yet not pureed. Reserve for serving.
06 - Remove the bay leaf. Adjust seasoning as needed with additional salt or pepper.
07 - Ladle hot soup into serving bowls. Top each portion with a dollop of ricotta cheese, generous sprinkles of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan, and a spoonful of sun-dried tomato tapenade.
