Meatball Minestrone

 

Sometimes it’s nice to have a light, savory, and scrumptious soup that comes together fast. It’s also nice to have a soup that can crossover into warmer seasons, or cool seasons that just won’t cool down.

 

 

We have been spending so much of our winter in the 70s and 80s so far, and it’s hard to get into my usual soups when it’s so warm. The rare day that we cool into the 60s I will definitely be pulling out my creamy butternut squash soup, or my warm pasta fagioli, but for now we are hitting the spring-style soups.

 

 

Usually I like to puree my soups to make them creamier without adding the extra fat of heavy cream. This recipe definitely tastes best when you keep it real. Diced veggies mixed with the yummy meatball morsels make the balance perfect. Add the pasta for a little more texture, and the spinach for one more kick of healthy-heartiness and you have a great balance.

 

 

The longer the soup simmers, the better. Sometimes I will make the broth and meatballs part of the soup ahead of time and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Then when it’s closer to dinner time, I heat it back up and add the noodles and spinach to finish it off. Makes for a fast meal, either prepped or not. Enjoyed with some focaccia or crusty sourdough is perfection!

 

 

Meatball Minestrone

 

Meatballs:

1 lb Italian sausage (or you can use ground duroc pork, chicken or turkey)

1/3 c panko crumbs

¼ c freshly grated parmesan

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp salt, more if needed

½ tsp pepper, more if needed

 

Broth:

2 Tbs EVOO

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 c chicken broth

2 c water

½ tsp dried oregano and dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1 c elbow pasta

1 c baby spinach, chopped

 

In a bowl, mix together all of the meatball ingredients. Roll the meatballs out into small balls, about ¾-1 inch size. Set these aside and continue to prep the rest of the ingredients. I like to have everything chopped, diced, and measured before I start to make things go more smoothly.

 

Heat your dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add your oil and begin browning your meatballs. Make sure to move them around to get all sides nicely browned, and don’t overcrowd the pot. Once they are browned, remove them to a paper towel lined plate and continue with the second batch. Once the second batch is done, remove them and set aside with the others.

 

Add a bit more oil and stir in the onions, carrots, and celery. Let those cook down a bit, until the onions become a bit translucent, and then add the garlic. After about a minute, add the chicken stock and water. Add the meatballs back to the pot, and also add the bay leaves and the dried oregano and thyme. Stir everything together and check for salt and pepper. Now add the pasta and let it cook for about 10 minutes, checking for al dente.

 

Once the pasta is ready, add the spinach and let it wilt for a minute. Your meatballs should be cooked through at this point, but it doesn’t hurt to check one. Pull the soup off the burner to let it cool a bit and then serve. This is amazing with some focaccia or sourdough.