Lasagna Soup

I made a silly faux pa with tonight's chicken dish. You will hear all about it tomorrow. It gave my friend, Trudy a chuckle. I'm sure she was shaking her head at me. So I have switched dinners and will attempt to remake the chicken tomorrow night. Stay tuned.
I never even heard of lasagna soup until my friend Paula over at "Queen of my Castle" brought it to my attention. The recipe is from Paula Deen and the actually name is "Tastes Like Lasagna Soup". The name says it all. It taste exactly like lasagna. I started by baking a French baguette. Sorry Paula but I had to make it, I forgot to buy one. This soups makes for any easy meal and my only suggestion is if you made it at all ahead of time don't add the Parmesan cheese until prior to serving. I did sprinkle the soup with the mozzarella and then placed it under the broiler. Totaling fooling my family into thinking I slaved all day in the kitchen.

Ingredients
1 lb ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 box (32 oz) chicken broth
2 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles
1 package (5 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic Crostini, recipe follows
Garlic Crostini
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.
Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 oven proof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately.
For the garlic crostini
Preheat oven to 350 ⁰F.
Cut bread into 1/4-inch round slices. Place on baking sheet and brush each slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; place in oven and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Rub each side with smashed garlic cloves.