Reinventing the Italian classic: Try the delectable lasagna soup that's trending online

Lasagna ranks highly among popular dishes in Italian cooking. At its basic, it's simply a pasta casserole, layered with meat and an enticing tomato sauce, topped with soft, stretchy cheese and baked for a full hour in the oven. If you are pressed for time, a deconstructed lasagna in the form of a soup is your answer. This dish virtually cooks itself. Let's look at how to prepare it.

The term "lasagna" is actually a reference to the dish itself and that's how it began. Although the dish was created in ancient times, it wasn't the lasagna we are familiar with today. The early version didn't include tomato sauce, now considered a vital element of the dish. Everything underwent a significant shift in the seventeenth century, when tomato sauce came into being, transforming Italian cuisine forever.

Historically, it's believed that this was the period when the traditional lasagna was born. There were two main variations - one with meat and one without. The vegetarian version is known as lasagna Napoli, while the version with meat is called lasagna Bolognese. Both styles featured the long pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese. The Bolognese variant also included sautéed ground meat.

Ingredients:

• 1.1 pounds of ground meat,
• 1 large onion,
• 5 cloves of garlic,
• olive oil,
• 3 tablespoons of tomato concentrate,
• 2.1 cups of tomato passata,
• 2.1 cups of beef broth,
• basil,
• thyme,
• oregano,
• 0.85 cups of cream,
• 2 balls of mozzarella,
• salt,
• pepper,
• 7 ounces of parmesan or grana padano.

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil and brown the meat in it. Once browned, add the diced onion and crushed garlic cloves. Towards the end of sautéing, add the tomato concentrate. Continue to sauté the mixture for another two minutes.
2. Add the tomato passata and beef broth to the meat mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to boil and then let it simmer for 20 minutes while covered.
3. Break the pasta into smaller pieces and cook until 'al dente' in salted water.
4. Add the cooked pasta to the simmering soup.
5. Tear the mozzarella into smaller bits, combine with the parmesan, and add the cream into the mixture.
6. Serve the soup in bowls, garnished with the premade cheese mixture.