In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and sun-dried tomato oil. Add the sausage (removed from casing) and break it up with a wooden spoon until it resembles ground meat.

(I prefer sausage links for flavor, but bulk works too.)

When the sausage is almost fully browned, stir in:

Diced onion

Minced garlic

Sun-dried tomatoes

Sauté until softened and fragrant.

Season & Bloom the Tomato Paste

Add crushed red pepper, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, dried basil, salt, and cracked black pepper.

Stir and cook until fragrant.

Add tomato paste and sauté until it deepens in color and becomes slightly golden — this builds serious flavor.

Build the Broth

Crushed tomatoes

8 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

Stir, cover, and bring to a rolling boil.

Add the broken lasagna noodles.

Keep at a steady boil until the noodles reach your preferred texture — al dente or softer.

Make the Ricotta Basil Balls

While the soup cooks, mix together:

Ricotta

Freshly shredded mozzarella

Parmesan

Chopped basil

Lemon zest

Salt & pepper

Roll into small balls.

Finish the Soup

Turn off the heat.

Immediately add the ricotta balls on top.

Cover and allow residual heat to melt them.

They’ll soften into gooey, creamy pockets. Even if they melt completely into the soup, it’s still absolutely incredible.

Ladle into bowls and top with:

Fresh parsley

Fresh basil

Extra Parmesan

Serve hot.