Foodie: Easy, Hearty Meatball Soup

This is a simple vegetable soup based recipe that can basically take on any protein that you’d like. For this recipe, the author had leftover ground beef and turned them into tiny meatballs. And it was delicious and perfect for a cold winter day.

A baking sheet for baking the meatballs in the oven is best and a cast iron skillet works well too. If you choose to use a cast iron skillet, make sure you preheat the skillet in the oven while the oven is preheating to bake the meatballs. Preheating the skillet allows for heat to be distributed evenly. To make this soup heartier, add cooked rice or orzo to the pot.
Bon appetit!

Ingredients
½ onion, minced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 eggs (1 egg per 1 lb of meat)
⅓ – ½ cup breadcrumbs
Tomato paste
¼ – ⅓ cup milk (depending upon how creamy you want it to be)
16 oz Vegetable stock or 1 bouillon cube
Salt & pepper
Italian flat parsley, chopped finely
Thyme
Red wine (optional)

Equipment
1 baking sheet or cast iron skillet
Large soup pot

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. If you are planning to use a cast iron skillet for the meatballs, also stick that in the oven while it is preheating. This will help the cast iron skillet distribute temperature as evenly as possible.
2. Take a little bit, like ½ a teaspoon of oil (olive, vegetable, or canola works) and heat it up on the stove on medium heat in the soup pan. Add the chopped celery, carrots, and onion to sweat the vegetables a bit. Season the vegetables well with salt and pepper while they sweat in the soup pan.
3. Add the vegetable broth (or bouillon cube and water), tomato paste, and milk. Stir to incorporate and cover the pot. Simmer the broth on low while you cook the meatballs.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix the minced garlic, egg (1 egg per pound of meat) salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, and thyme and mix it all together in a big bowl.
5. Roll the meatballs into a little bit smaller than the size of a ping pong ball. If the meatballs are falling apart when you roll them, add more breadcrumbs to the mixture.
6. Carefully (it’s hot!) take out the skillet from the oven and thinly coat the pan with a little bit of olive oil. Add the meatballs and put them back in the oven for 15 minutes. After about 2 minutes, add a splash of red wine to the skillet and put it back in the oven.
7. After the meatballs have been cooking for about 10 -15 minutes, flip them over and put the skillet back in the oven for another 5- 10 minutes, until they are completely cooked through and browned on the outside.
8. Finally, add the baked meatballs to the soup base and simmer for about 10 minutes to get the flavors going. Serve immediately.

This is an original recipe.

What is your favorite soup recipe? Tell us in the comments!