Lasagna Soup

Last month, my aunt Debi came to visit for a few days.  She actually stayed with us while her 17-year old son attended a conference in downtown Kansas City.  It's always great chatting with Debi as she evokes great conversation.  Even better, she played with the kids and had dinner ready when I got home from work not once but twice in her three full days here!  Now I know how Craig feels on a daily basis.  Kidding.  Kind of. :)

One of the meals she prepared for us was lasagna soup.  I had seen lasagna soup recipes on Pinterest, but for some reason, all I could think about was lasagna pureed into soup form.  Needless to say, it never attracted my attention.  But from the moment I walked into our house the day she made it, I knew I was going to love it.  And then I learned it included cream cheese.  Sold. 

Oh my goodness, it was delicious.  I copied down the recipe and have made it, oh, about fives time since!  Not only is it delicious, but it's super simple, too!

Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:
1 23-ounce can tomato soup
3 cups of hot water (the equivalent of using one empty soup can)
3 cups of milk (the equivalent of using one empty soup can)
1 pound of hamburger, cooked and drained
1/2 teaspoons pepper (the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons, but I tried that and it was waaaay too peppery)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried, minced onions
1 tablespoon dried, minced garlic
1 box of lasagna noodles, uncooked, broken into pieces
8 ounces cream cheese

Directions:
1. Combine first eight ingredients until near boiling.
2. Add noodles and let simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until noodles are cooked through.
3. Add cream cheese adn stir through.
4. And that's it!  Can serve with bread and/or shredded mozzarella sprinkled on top.

Tip:
Make a double batch and freeze half of it!  A single recipe fits perfectly into a gallon-sized ziploc.

Thank you, Debi, for sharing the recipe and an even bigger thanks for all you did while here!  You're welcome back anytime!