Real lasagna soup

Boil the lasagna noodles in salted water about four minutes to partly cook them.

Move them into cold water to stop the cooking, drain thoroughly, and cut each in half lengthwise on a cutting board.

Arrange in overlapping rows on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush generously with butter, rubbing some between the pieces.

Toast in the center of a 475 oven about 15 minutes, until dried, blistered and golden, the edges dark and crispy.

Cool, then cut or break into roughly one-and-a-half-inch pieces.

Put the beef and Italian sausage in the soup pot with the olive oil over high heat; break into larger, identifiable pieces, not fine crumbles.

Leave untouched until the moisture evaporates and the meat sizzles in its own fat, then stir and brown a couple of minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, chili flakes, oregano, black pepper and salt; cook, stirring, three or four minutes until the onions turn translucent.

Add the chicken broth, the marinara and the water; bring to a simmer, then lower to medium-low.

Simmer about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off as much of the surface fat as wanted.

Stir the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and a pinch of salt together; refrigerate if making far ahead.

Raise to medium-high, add the toasted noodles and cook about 10 minutes until tender.

Lower the heat, stir in the parsley, taste and adjust the salt.

Ladle into bowls, top with a generous amount of the cheese mixture and scatter torn parsley and basil.