Unstuffed Shells Soup
Unstuffed Shells Soup is a delicious tomato soup recipe with pasta shells and topped with an herbed ricotta cheese mixture.
- 8 ounces ricotta
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 12 ounces ground Italian sausage
- 1 large yellow onion, (diced)
- 1 large red bell pepper, (seeded and diced)
- 2 medium garlic cloves, (minced)
- One 14.5-ounce can whole tomatoes with juices
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces medium shell pasta
- 1½ cups chopped fresh spinach
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, parsley, basil and lemon zest. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat a large pot (Dutch oven, if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, for 5 to 6 minutes until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
- Stir in the bell pepper and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the whole tomatoes with the juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Stir in the broth, crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes
- Meanshile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the shells al dente according to the package directions, about 7 minutes.
- Remove the soup from heat and stir in the spinach. Allow the soup for rest for 3 minutes.
- Divide the shells among 6 bowls. Ladle the soup on top of the shells and top each portion with about 2 tablespoons of herbed ricotta cheese.
Unstuffed Shells Soup
Think about how perfect a bowl of pasta is when combined with creamy ricotta cheese! And even better- stuffed shells! This is the soup version. This delicious tomato soup is packed with ground sausage and pasta, and it’s topped with basil ricotta. It’s the perfect bowl of soup for pasta lovers!
Everyday Comfort by Holly Nilsson
This recipe comes from the highly anticipated new cookbook: Everyday Comfort: Family Dinner Recipes from Fresh to Cozy by Holly Nilsson. Holly is the founder of the popular Spend with Pennies website. She’s a good friend of mine, and she is such a fabulous recipe creator! This is a great cookbook to add to your collection for easy dinner ideas.
Here are some recipes in the book that I can’t wait to try!
Homemade Alfredo Sauce (with variations for making different kinds of meals)
The Best-Ever Meatloaf
Sticky Honey-Garlic Drumsticks
And so many more!
ricotta cheese
dried parsley, dried basil and Italian seasoning
freshly grated lemon zest
ground Italian sausage
yellow onion
red bell pepper
garlic
canned whole tomatoes and canned crushed tomatoes
reduced-sodium chicken broth
medium-shell pasta
fresh spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make Unstuffed Shells Soup:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
PREPARE THE SOUP:
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the shells al dente according to the package directions, about 7 minutes.
Recipe Tip
Use fresh basil and parsley instead of dried herbs. Use a tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs instead of dried.
What to serve with this soup:
Serve bowls of soup topped with fresh Parmesan cheese and an additional sprinkle of fresh herbs. Use a hunk of bread to soak of all of the soup!
What I Love About This Recipe:
I love pasta, but sometimes it’s too heavy. This soup is perfect!
The ricotta mixture is really tasty served on top of the soup.
I love the flavor of this soup!
