I tried Ree Drummond's lasagna soup, and it's the best comfort dish I've made all winter

To make 8-10 servings of Drummond's lasagna soup, you'll need:

• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 pound pork sausage, casings removed

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can of whole tomatoes with juice

• 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 sprigs thyme, minced

• 1 sprig oregano, minced

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

• ¾ cup white wine (or stock)

• ½ cup heavy cream

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, plus more for serving

For the ricotta dumplings, you'll need:

• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon minced parsley

• 1 tablespoon minced basil, plus more for garnish

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Compared to some recent soups I've made, like Ina Garten's chicken chili, there's very little prep for Drummond's recipe. All I had to do was slice the onions, chop some parsley, and mince my garlic, thyme, and oregano.

My prep was finished within minutes, which is always a plus — especially on a Sunday with playoff games to watch.

I cooked the veggies and herbs over medium heat for about two minutes, stirring occasionally, until they started to soften.

I increased the heat to medium-high before adding the ground beef and sausage, which I seasoned with one teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of black pepper.

I broke up the beef and sausage with my friend Kayla's meat masher, which made this step super quick, but you can also use a wooden spoon.

Drummond recommends draining off "at least half of the grease" once your meat is ready.

I stirred everything in the pot and let the tomato paste cook for one minute.

I stirred everything together again, allowing the wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot.

Drummond's recipe calls for a 14.5-ounce can, but I could only find 28-ounce cans at the store. I decided to use the entire can so my soup would have even more broth.

I crushed the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon as I stirred everything together.

Now my pot was starting to look like a soup!

Once my soup was boiling, I reduced the heat to low so it could simmer.

Drummond recommends simmering your soup for 20 minutes. I had some extra time and wanted the flavors to develop a little longer, so I opted for 40 minutes instead.

Drummond's recipe calls for 12 total lasagna noodles, but I used the entire box since I didn't want to waste the five extra noodles. I have a strict No Noodle Left Behind policy.

I filled a pot with salted water and brought it to a boil, breaking the noodles into smaller pieces as I threw them in. Drummond says you should let the noodles cook for about a minute less than the package instructions, until they're almost tender, so I cooked my pasta for nine minutes total.

After draining the noodles, I drizzled some olive oil on top so they wouldn't stick together. I had a feeling my broth would need far more liquid once I added the noodles, so I also saved the pasta water.

All I needed to do was mince some more parsley and basil.

My soup was almost ready!

I let the soup simmer for five minutes after adding the noodles and pasta water.

I added the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl, along with the chopped parsley and basil.

I seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper and stirred everything together, molding it into one big ball I could scoop my little dumplings out of.

This is such an impressive-looking soup. I loved how the white ricotta dumplings popped against the deep-red broth of the soup, and the sprinkle of basil on top was a nice touch. The curves of the lasagna noodles peeking through the surface made my bowl look especially inviting.

I opted to go with small dumplings because I liked the presentation of them, but you could also do big dollops if you prefer.

Drummond's lasagna soup is deliciously hearty, and that first spoonful of meat, pasta, and cheese instantly warmed my soul. The broth needs more salt to taste, but it goes so well with the creamy ricotta dumplings. I recommend really mixing them into the broth to give your soup even more of a flavor punch and making sure to break the noodles into smaller pieces so they're easier to pick up with each spoonful.

I made this for my boyfriend Peter and our friends Kayla and Oliver and they decreed this another win in my ongoing mission to find the best winter soup recipes.

"It's quite literally lasagna but in a comforting soup format," Peter said. "The best of both worlds."

Oliver also had the idea to make the soup with ravioli or tortellini instead, which I think is a fabulous recommendation.

Whether you're frolicking in the snow or counting down the days until spring (like me), Drummond's lasagna soup is the comfort dinner of dreams.