When you live in Boston, one of the first things you learn is that there is a mystical land on the north side of the city where you can find mind-blowingly good Italian food. Growing up, it was my favorite part about visiting because I finally felt in touch with my Italian roots (I’m lying, I am Italian but I mainly just loved pasta…)  This is my homage to my home and favorite city.

On a cold day, this soup hits the spot. By using turkey sausage and low-fat cheeses, its also not terrible for you, so you can go for seconds without ruining that beach-bod-in-progress. It makes quite a bit, so you can make it through a blizzard with plenty to eat.

Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds turkey hot Italian style sausage (raw)
• 1 yellow onion (diced)
• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 jar vodka sauce
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs oregano/Italian blend
• 7-8 lasagna noodles (no-boil, broken into 2 inch pieces)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Shredded Parmesan
• Low-fat ricotta

Instructions:

1. Lightly oil a large frying pan. Remove turkey from casing and brown. Add to crock pot.
2. In same pan, oil lightly again and saute onions and garlic until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add to turkey sausage in crock pot.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, vodka sauce, chicken broth, water, and spices. Mix until well blended and taste for flavor. If you’d like, you can add some onion and garlic powder, red pepper flakes, or salt and pepper to your liking.
4. Add broken lasagna pieces and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3. Soup is done when noodles are “al dente”.
5. Top with shredded Parmesan and a scoop of ricotta cheese.