I'm a sucker for lasagna. It's one of my favorite dishes in my mom's meal rotation that I grew up eating almost every week. Turning it into a soup seemed like a natural transition and something fun to do and eat. This recipe does make a lot of food; I probably ate seven or eight bowls before it was said and done. So invite some folks over, or call it meal planning.

How you cook the noodles makes all the difference in the final product. If you choose to simmer the noodles in the sauce, sort of how they'd cook if you were making lasagna, you'll end up with a thick final product. Really great, but more like hamburger helper. Boiling the noodles separately in salted water and adding them afterward guarantees you have something to pour into a bowl.

The croutons are a solid addition but not necessary; a nice piece of bread or garlic toast would also do the trick. I'm also a big fan of cottage cheese instead of ricotta in all things lasagna, but either will work well here for a soup topper.

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1. Make the croutons. Set the oven to 325ºF. Toss 1-inch squares of freshly cut bread with garlic salt, parsley, and extra virgin olive oil. Toast until golden brown and crispy.
2. Make the sausage. Mix the ground pork and ground duck. Lightly toast the fennel seed in a saute pan. Thoroughly blend all of the spices into the meat and set aside.
3. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop the onion and garlic. Measure the spices and liquids. Open the cans and break up the noodles into 1- to 2-inch wide pieces.
4. Start the soup. Add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Break up the sausage into large chunks and brown on all sides in 2 to 3 batches. Turn the heat down to medium, remove the sausage and set it aside. Add the butter, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion begins to caramelize on the edges. Now add the fresh rosemary, dried oregano, and tomato paste. Cook the mixture for a minute. Deglaze the pan with red wine vinegar and add the game stock. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer.
5. Add the sausage back into the pot. Add the crushed tomato, tomato sauce, and heavy cream. Check for seasoning. Bring the soup up to a simmer, cover, and lightly stew for another 20 to 30 minutes.
6. While the soup is stewing bring lightly salted water to a boil and cook the broken lasagna noodles until al dente. Add them to the soup. If you'd like a thicker pasta-like dish, add the uncooked noodles to the pot before covering and simmer the noodles until tender. It will be much thicker than adding cooked pasta.
7. Finish the soup. Mix in the parsley, basil, and mozzarella. Serve immediately with garlic croutons, cottage cheese, parmesan, and a healthy pour of extra virgin olive oil.