Midwest living...you never know what you're gonna get...Seriously! Yesterday a predicted incoming winter storm was on the horizon. Weather forecast said it was supposed to start at 9am..9am came and went and no snow...Noon came...No snow. What the heck?! Are they wrong again?!! Well, about 1pm the snow started flying and it's been a windy, snowy, cold last 24 hours after all!
Today is a snow day. Many businesses and schools either didn't open or are closing early. Kids are excited because the long-awaited amounted snow (that won't melt for a while) is officially here! With the snowy/cold temps, that calls for some soup!!
I whipped up some Crockpot Lasagna Soup today which is a semi-new recipe, and it smells oh SO good; I can't wait to dive in tonight!
Ingredients (with modifications):
- 2 lbs. ground beef (you could also use ground turkey, ground bison etc.)
- 1 onion (if your kids don't like onions like mine don't sometimes, just use onion powder)
- 1-2 red or green bell peppers (I skipped this because the sauce I use has it in it already. However, you could use fresh peppers, or you can also buy chopped frozen green peppers)
- (2) 14.5-ounce cans of petite diced tomatoes (we can't do tomatoes, so I skipped these. See below what we used in place of tomatoes!)
- (1) 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (we skipped these also. See below for substitution!)
- 2 tsp minced garlic (you could also just use garlic powder. (I used 1/4 of a packet of SnS dips garlic onion seasoning. We have this available in store!)
- 2 tbsp of Italian Seasoning
- 1 jar of beef broth (I used Fond Brand Beef Bone Broth)
- 12 oz package of Lasagna Noodles (I use Barilla Gluten-Free ready to cook lasagna noodles. After ALOT of trial & error, I can tell you that these have been the best gluten free noodle brand that is comparable to non-gluten free noodles as far as taste and how they cook up. They hold up really well and don't get too mushy or fall apart. If they do get mushy, you have cooked them too long.)
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Ricotta cheese (If you're needing dairy free, see below for substitutions for this!)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (if you're needing dairy free, see below for substitutions for this!)
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (if your dairy free, see below for substitutions for this)
Cook your meat in full. While you're waiting, add into your crockpot: onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, seasonings, & beef broth. When your meat is completely cooked, drain & add that to your crockpot. Cover & cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Remove the lid & break the lasagna noodles into bite size pieces and stir them in. You can add more or less noodles than what is called for depending on your taste preference. Cover & cook on high for 30-45 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. If you are using gluten free noodles, I watch them closely and check them at about the 10–15-minute mark and continue to check in 5-minute increments until cooked through.
Spoon into bowls & add your cheeses. Enjoy!
**Substitutions:
- Tomato Substitution: I use Sonoma Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce as my base. For this recipe, I used 2 jars. I then thin it out using water. A good rule I follow is one jar of water per 1 jar of sauce. Since I used 2 jars of the butternut squash sauce, I filled up those same jars with water when the sauce was emptied out and added those to the crockpot. Make sure you stir.
- Dairy Substitution: Prior to being dairy free, I always used cream cheese in my lasagna recipe. Luckily, I was able to carry that on even being dairy free! I substitute the cheese for Dairy-Free Mozzarella cheese (we like Daiya brand or Vio-Life brand for this). I use Dairy Free cream cheese in place of the ricotta cheese. (We use Vio-Life Brand for this, or we've recently discovered Philidelphia has a dairy free cream cheese and that one is our first choice if it's in stock!) For my husband, I have regular cream cheese & regular mozzarella cheese for him to add to this recipe. There is a Dairy Free parmesan cheese option, however, I just omit that completely and stick with the other 2 but if you like that, you could always add that.
When cooking for a family that has multiple food allergies, the easiest thing I have found that works well for us is for me to make the base of said recipe (in this case soup) and then all of the "extras" have that as an option to add to it right before eating.
If you try this, let me know what you think! I hope you love it as much as us! If you're in the Midwest today, enjoy the beauty of the snow and stay warm and safe!
Until Next Time,
~Rochelle