Kittencal's Mini Meatball Minestrone Soup
photo by frostingnfettuccine
- Ready In:
- 1hr 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 25
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
- 3 -4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 -3 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional or adjust to suit heat level)
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups chicken broth (can use beef broth)
- 4 cups tomato sauce (for a richer flavor use 2 cups each tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes)
- 1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
- 1 (10 ounce) can green beans, drained
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (rinsed over with cold water)
- 2 -3 medium zucchini, sliced thick (or coarsely chopped)
- cooked small shell pasta (use any amount desired, small shell pasta or macaroni will work fine)
- 1⁄3 - 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese (more for sprinkling)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
-
MEATBALLS
- 1⁄2 lb extra lean ground beef (or use half beef and pork)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green onion, finely chopped (use white part only)
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1⁄2 teaspoon seasoning salt or 1/2 teaspoon white salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
directions
- For the meatballs; in a bowl combine all ingredients until blended.
- Shape into 3/4-inch balls; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to add to the soup.
- In a large pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add in garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add in onions, dried oregano and crushed chili flakes; saute for about 4 minutes, stirring.
- Add in celery, carrots and tomato paste; saute stirring for 2-3 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add in chicken broth, tomato sauce, kidney beans, green beans, spinach leaves and zucchini; return to a boil.
- Add in uncooked meatballs; bring to a simmer (do not stir for at least 20 minutes).
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours (after about 30 minutes of cooking season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste).
- Add in cooked pasta and 1/3 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to heat through (can add in more cheese if desired).
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese.
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Reviews
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WOW!! I consider myself really good at making soup and I think this is the best soup I have ever made. My DH agrees, such depth of flavor. I sauteed the onions slowly while I peeled the carrots and celery and then added them with the onion and sauteed them. I always do this longer than recipes call for. I thought 2 hours seemed excessive to cook everything but decided who am I to argue with Kitten so I did it and wow am I glad I did it is truly amazing. I did add the green beans in the last 20 min and spinach at the very end. I doubled the recipe and used half tomato sauce and half crushed tomatoes like the recipe suggests. I wasn't sure what to use for the tomato sauce so I used Presidents Choice organic basil and tomato, it is fairly bland. Not sure most people would need to double this recipe it makes a lot but I am glad I did. Oh also used extra broth and it was still not a thin soup. Thanks so much for this recipe. LOVE IT!!!
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My kitchen sure smells real good today. This soup is absolutely fantastic. Delicious blend of flavors. All I can say is Wow Kittencal. I love your recipes. I followed the recipe except I had about 1/2 cup frozen corn and added that, and I added a bit extra broth. The meatballs are wonderful. I made 40 meatballs with the amount of meat mixture and added them all to the soup. This is a scrumptious soup, thanks so much Kittencal. I hope you never stop posting recipes you are wonderful.
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Great soup! I took this to a family dinner and everyone loved it. I did make a couple substitutions - I used fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (what I had on hand), and I used ground turkey breast for the meatballs. I also used cannelini beans because thats what I had. This is a really versatile, hearty soup, great for these cold damp days. Will make often, thanks for the recipe.
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Tweaks
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Great soup! I took this to a family dinner and everyone loved it. I did make a couple substitutions - I used fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (what I had on hand), and I used ground turkey breast for the meatballs. I also used cannelini beans because thats what I had. This is a really versatile, hearty soup, great for these cold damp days. Will make often, thanks for the recipe.