Stew It Over

go full Garfield but make it soup

these creminis were so fucking cute that a pic had to be taken

Hey Broiler Heads! This week’s recipe is a take on an idea that’s been floating around the internet this winter: lasagna soup. It has almost everything I like in a meal: noodles, tomatoes, and a savory broth. What’s not to love? Well, most version I saw are full of garbage ingredients or are so overly complicated that you might as well have just made a fucking lasagna (which if you’re looking for a recipe, book 1 has a killer one). At the end of the day, the beauty of soup for dinner is that you shouldn’t have to dirty 5 pans and tons of specialty equipment to get a meal on the table. Winter is for moving slow and staying cozy so our meals during these cold, dark days should be in keeping with that.

Clementine, guardian of the recipe notebooks

This recipe is much thicker and more stew-like than the previous soup recipes in this series. If you want more broth, cook the pasta separately. If you like how it appears in the photo below, just throw the noodles in the pot and embrace the ease of this dinner. Why work any harder than necessary? All you need to do is make sure the lentils are tender before throwing in the pasta so that everything is completely cooked by the time it’s time to dig in. Originally, I thought this was going to need some kind of bechamel or homemade ricotta on top but it really doesn’t. Feel free to add some if you really wanna overachieve but it wasn’t missed over here. Can’t find fire roasted tomatoes? Regular diced will do but the fire-roasted version adds a depth of flavor to the soup that makes it seem like it was simmering away all day, instead of less than an hour.

Lasagna Stew

Makes enough for 4-6 hungry people

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

3 ribs of celery, diced

8-ounces cremini or button mushroom, destemmed and diced (one typical container from the store)

1 tablespoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

2 teaspoons chopped fennel seeds

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¾ cup black lentils (they hold their shape best)

One 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes or regular

7 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

8 ounces of dried trumpet pasta, your favorite shape, or broken up lasagna noodles

Salt and pepper

Basil or parsley to top

Grab a large stock pot and place it over a medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once it’s warm, throw in the onions. Sauté these around with a pinch of salt until they start to get some color on them, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 3 more minutes. Fold in the mushrooms, then drizzle over the Braggs. Next, it’s time to start really building some flavor. Add the chopped fennel seeds, oregano, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes and stir so that everything gets incorporated. Let this cook together for a minute so that the spices can start waking up from their long nap in your spice rack. Next, fold in the garlic and tomato paste, making sure to break up any chunks. Toss in the lentils and stir it all up. By now everything should be smelling delicious. People will start showing up at your kitchen window. Tell them you’re fucking busy and get back to your stew.

Now pour in the can of diced tomatoes and vegetable broth and let the pot come to a simmer, stirring every now and then. Once the pot is simmering, turn down the heat to medium low and add the red wine vinegar and nutritional yeast. Keep it a low simmer, stirring every couple minutes to keep the lentils from clumping to the bottom, until the lentils are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Once they taste right, pour in the pasta and cook until the noodles are tender. This time will depend on what kind of pasta you’re using so check the box.

Want a brothier soup? Just cook the noodles in a separate pot and fold them into the bowls as you serve the soup. Either way, when you are ready to serve, turn off the heat and taste the soup. Add more salt or pepper, whatever you think it needs. Top with some fresh basil leaves or chopped parsley and serve right away.

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Thanks so much for joining us again here in The Broiler Room. We’ve got just a few more soups left in our soup season series, and we hope you’re having as much fun eating them as we are. Same time next week, ok?

Michelle