Of course, I know it’s technically summer. And finally, and I do mean FINALLY it appears that summer has landed here in the beautiful northwestern part of the great state of Washington. The fact of which I am quite sure my outdoor potted plants will readily attest. (They were really thirsty when I watered them yesterday morning. To the extent that a couple were drooping from lack of turgor pressure.)

Your botany lesson (reminder) for today:  Turgor pressure – the pressure exerted by fluid in a cell that presses the cell membrane against the cell wall. Turgor is what makes living plant tissue rigid. Loss of turgor, resulting from the loss of water from plant cells, causes flowers and leaves to wilt. (Actually, turgor pressure is one of the only things I remember from the college freshman botany class I took in 1962. That and the difference between herbaceous and woody plants. And only then because my lab partner and I gave each other the nicknames “Herby” and “Woody”. But I digress….

Anyway, I served this terrific soup last evening for dinner. Even though the temperature had been in the mid-eighties. Because, basically, I enjoy a good soup year-round. And this, dear friends, is a very good soup. And let me tell you right here and now, that compared with making lasagna from scratch, this dish is a snap to prepare.

I can’t tell you how many times over the years, I have finished making lasagna and swearing never to do it again. And then several months later, forgetting the time involved, end up vowing to not make the same mistake again. Basically, I have been repeating this process for decades now. And yes, you would think the girl could learn. But apparently not! (At least now, I have a reasonable alternative that tastes divine and only takes about a fourth of the time to assemble.)

Now don’t get me wrong. I still love lasagna in all it’s iterations. And because I do love this quint essential Italian dish, I plan to develop other soups that include the basic ingredients from my favorite lasagna recipes. (Roasted Mushroom Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce immediately comes to mind.)

So, a big thank you to Lauren from the tastsbetterfromscratch.com site for the bones of this recipe. I changed her recipe dramatically, but the basic premise is all Laurens.

Well, that’s it for today. You’ve had your botany lesson for today and been provided with a simple recipe for a great soup that I know your entire family will enjoy. Hopefully your day will be wonderful, productive, and bring you pleasure.

If you are like most people, life can get in the way of taking care of yourself. This is something I have only come to realize as I’ve gotten older. Before it was rush, rush, rush to make everyone’s life around me perfect. Nothing is perfect, no matter how hard we as cooks and care givers try to make it so. But when we take good care of ourselves, we have a basis for taking good care of others. Taking care of ourselves should always be a top priority. (Well, that and having fun in our kitchens.)  

Peace and love to all.

1 c. cottage cheese (run through your food processor to make it smooth)

1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

¾ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. roughly chopped fresh basil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

1 lg. yellow onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes (preferably Italian)

2 T. tomato paste

6 c. water

1 T. beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon Beef base)  

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. Italian seasoning 

2 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. fennel seed

1-2 Parmesan rinds, opt.

4-6 lasagna noodles, broken into small bite sized pieces

3 c. roughly chopped baby spinach leaves 

In a small bowl, stir the processed cottage cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil together. Set aside.

In a large heavy covered pot over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and sausage until browned. Remove meat from the pot and drain as much grease off as possible. Set meat aside.

In the same pot, add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Stir in the canned tomatoes (plus juice), tomato paste, water, beef base, salt, pepper, bay leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, oregano, dried basil, fennel seed, and Parmesan rinds.

Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally. After about 40 minutes, remove the bay leaves and Parmesan rind(s), taste and adjust seasoning before increasing heat and adding the broken lasagna noodles. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are al dente.  

Add the spinach and cooked meat. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and the meat is hot.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls and dollop a scoop of the cheese mixture on top.