Cooking With The Crew: Ron Smiley's Butternut Lasagna Soup

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's Ron Smiley's turn in the Pittsburgh Today Live kitchen! He's making a great recipe for fall.

Butternut Lasagna Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Butternut Squash
• 1 Medium Yellow onion Diced
• 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 5 Lasagna noodles, Broken into bite sized pieces
• 8 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth, Divided
• 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 2 15 Ounce can Cannellini beans, Drained and Rinsed
• 1 Cup Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 Cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat.
2. Add the onion to the pot and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Then, add the garlic and cook one more minute stirring constantly.
3. Add the squash and 6 cups of the stock to the pot along with the oregano, thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until squash is fork tender.
5. Remove the squash chunks to a blender and puree until smooth, then return to pot. **Alternately, using a handheld immersion blender, puree the squash right in the pot until smooth.
6. Add the remaining broth, and broken lasagna noodles to the pot with the squash.
7. Simmer for 10 minutes, until noodles are al dente.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and add the beans, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Stir for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients: Salad 5 cups broccoli florets, cut into ½" pieces ½ cup red onion, chopped 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 1 cup Mariani Sliced Almonds and ¾ cup Dried Cranberries

Dressing: 1 cup salad dressing or Mayo, ¼ cup sugar, 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions:

Combine all salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl; mix well.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined using a fork or wire whisk. Add dressing to salad and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.