Dice vegetables into a small, even dice, about ¼" pieces. Mince garlic or chop very finely.

On medium heat, sautee onions, carrots & celery until mostly cooked.

Once almost cooked through, add garlic. Do not let this burn.

Once garlic is fragrant remove from heat, then add all remaining ingredients OTHER THAN sausage, parmesan & noodles.

Turn heat to simmer & let simmer, stirring occasionally, for as long as possible - at least 2 hours.

If using parmesan rind, this is only to flavour the soup, it will be removed with the bay leaves at the end of cooking. Wash the rind & toss into the soup.

After simmering, remove bay leaves & rind (if using).

If you prefer a smoother texture, you can either blend half of your soup now for a slightly smoother texture, blend it all, or don't blend it at all.

Once blended (if blending) return to pot & stir. Add 1 or 2 cups water or broth, stir & add more water if needed to thin out the soup to your liking.

Remove sausage from casings. Roll sausage into ½" balls (preferred, better texture in soup) or crumble in the pan, if you'd prefer.

Brown the sausage & cook almost through but not completely. Drain any fat & add sausage to soup.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Make sure to salt your water well.

Break lasagna noodles into 1½" pieces & cook until they're soft, but not fully cooked (about 5 - 7 minutes) STIRRING FREQUENTLY to ensure noodles do not stick to each other.

Drain & add noodles to soup. Stir.

Turn heat to medium low & let simmer until noodles are JUST al dente or slightly firm. Do NOT let this come to a boil.

Ensure you are stirring frequently & all the way to the bottom - it's easy to burn at this step if you aren't stirring to the bottom.

Add more water as needed to thin out soup as noodles cook.

Once cooked through, add ricotta & stir.

Taste for seasonings & adjust as needed to your tastes.

Serve with garlic bread.