Ways to use Kale: Lasagna Soup

Lately I have been trying to eat more greens and healthy foods. I have learned within the last year that I have a type of anemia where I do not absorb enough B12 from an every day diet, causing me to have a B12 deficiency. I do give myself a B12 shot monthly, but I am trying to make a point to eat more foods that naturally have B12 and other vitamins. So I have chosen Kale as a new green to begin adding to food and recipes.

I got the original version of this recipe from http://www.ohsweetbasil.com. I really am just starting out in my cooking adventures, so I do not have an arsenal of recipes already. Working on that, though. (:

Here is my modified version, and how I made it work for us.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (or more. I used more. Don’t have an exact measurement.)
• 4 Small Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 1 Green Pepper, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano, chopped
• 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon basil, chopped
• 1 Lb Ground Beef
• Beef Broth (32 oz)
• 1/2 Cup Ricotta
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1 Can Diced Tomatoes, 28 oz
• 2 Cups Broken Lasagna Noodles
• 1 Cup Mozarella Cheese, shredded
• Kale: just shred by hand an amount you prefer to be in the soup.

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottomed pot, over medium high heat, add the olive oil until it just starts to shimmer. Add the garlic, stirring as you add it and cook for a few seconds. Turn the heat down to medium and stir occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Add the green pepper, oregano, parsley and basil. Stir to combine and let cook for one minute.
2. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and no longer raw. I started adding kale here. Add the beef broth and ricotta, whisking to break up the ricotta and help it to melt into the soup. Add the brown sugar, tomatoes, stirring to combine. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. The last 15 minutes add the broken lasagna noodles and cook until tender.
4. Place the soup in oven safe bowls or soup mugs and top with cheese. (I used my small Corning Ware bowls.)
5. Heat the broiler to high heat and place the soup in the oven. Once the cheese is golden and melted remove from the oven and serve with warm bread.

Here is after adding the beef broth, kale and ricotta cheese. I promise, it turns out better (;

Here is the final product. I believe I could’ve left it in to brown a little longer on the cheese so that it would have looked more like lasagna, but I loved the cheese just like this. And I loved using the small serving bowls from our Corning Ware set because they came with lids and I could prepare a few additional individual servings to take to work for lunch.

This actually turned out amazing! If you would like to try the original recipe, you can find it at Oh Sweet Basil!

She has tons of amazing recipes available.

Do you already use Kale a lot? What are some ways you incorporate it into your daily diet?

Have any recipes you’d like to share? (;

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