Heat a large dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with a spritz of oil. Add onions, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring often, for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant and tender. Add garlic, and dried herbs, and cook for one more minute.
Scoot the veggies to one side and add the ground beef. Use a meat masher or wooden spoon to break up the beef as you brown it. Season with salt, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. (I love that the fennel gives sausage vibes to the lean ground beef!) When the meat is cooked through, combine it with the veggies.
Stir tomato paste and white wine into the dish, cooking for two minutes. Then add the canned tomatoes. If using whole peeled canned tomatoes, give them a good smash with your meat masher. Stir in your chicken broth and reduce heat to a simmer.
Steam cauliflower florets according to package directions. I love to buy the fresh steamable bags that I can just throw in the microwave for ease! Add the steamed cauliflower, cottage cheese, parmesan, and about ½ cup of the broth spooned out of the pot (just to help it blend) to a blender. Process until smooth and creamy. Stir the creamy sauce into the soup.
I suggest serving this with lasagna noodles, but I like to keep the noodles separate for two reasons: 1. So they don’t soak up too much broth and get mushy over time. 2. This way you can choose if and how much pasta you want. If you count macros, make sure and track the noodles separately.
If serving with lasagna noodles, break lasagna noodles over a pot of boiling salted water and drop them in. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. (Toss with a spritz of olive oil so they don't stick together.)
Add lasagna noodles (if using) to your bowl and top with hot soup. If you’d like a little more decadence, add some grated mozzarella to the top and let it get nice and melty. I love a scoop of ricotta or cottage cheese in mine. If I want to keep carbs lower, I love to skip the noodles and add in some extra roasted veggies to bulk mine up! Broccoli, mushrooms, butternut or delicata squash… I’ll use whatever I’ve got! Enjoy.