Italian Meatball Soup

This recipe is from The Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner Cookbook. In the recipe its calls for 1 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning Mix (its a PC seasoning). Have not tried it yet, but it sounds good.

• Ready In: 27 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  medium carrots
• 2  stalks celery
• 1  small onion
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste
• 4  garlic cloves, pressed
• 1  tablespoon  italian seasoning mix
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
• 2  cups beef broth
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 16  fully frozen cooked  meatballs
•  salt
•  fresh coarse ground black pepper

• For Ciabatta Croutons

• 6  ounces  ciabatta or 6  ounces  other  crusty Italian bread
• 1  tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Peel carrots with vegetable peeler. Finely chop carrots, celery and onions.
2. Lightly spray pot(4qt) with oil and add carrots, celery and onion. Cook over medium heat 4-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until paste begins to caramelize.
4. Add pressed garlic and seasoning; mix well. Stir in tomatoes; broth and water; bring to a simmer.
5. Cut meatballs in half; add to soup. Simmer an additional 10-12 minutes; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve hot and garnish with Ciabatta Croutons.
6. Ciabatta Croutons:
7. Pre heat Oven to 425 degrees. Slice loaf into 1 inch cubes. Toss cubes with olive oil and arrange in an even layer on pan. Bake 12-14minutes or until golden brown.