Disney Dining: Royal Street Veranda

Have you ever eaten at Royal Street Veranda in New Orleans Square? They serve soups in sourdough bread bowls. I'm a bread-aholic but I'm not a fan of sourdough, so sourdough bread bowls seem like a cruel trick and I never eat there, but my husband loves the clam chowder. It's not exactly soup weather in July, but it did rain and cool off a bit today, so we tried a new soup recipe and loved it. It's even healthy-ish!

Dinner Menu:
Lasagna Soup
Toasted French bread or whole wheat toast (recipe here)

Lasagna Soup 

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 oz broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4-6 noodles)
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
3 Tb grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the flavors to blend. Add the noodle pieces, turn up the heat, and bring it to a boil again. Then reduce the heat again and let it simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens a bit and the noodles are tender. It takes about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and fresh basil. Serve with bread. yum

This was a HUGE hit. It is absolutely delicious, filling, and even healthy! We didn't have a lot leftover, but I did get to have some for lunch the next day and added some of the leftover cheesy squash to my bowl, and I think it was even better! We will definitely be having this again.