Minestone with meatballsCuisine: Meat Category: Soups Servings: 8 Ingredients:10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1 large egg 1 tsp salt 1/3 cup dry Italian-style bread crumbs or flavored dry bread crumbs 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 4 tbs olive oil 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 8 cups or 64 ounces beef broth (can use 4 beef bouillon cubes in 8 cups water) 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with its liquid 1 lb can red kidney beans, with its liquid 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 2carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds 2stalks celery, sliced 1garlic clove, chopped 1 cup elbow or rotini pasta, uncooked Instructions:Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze the water out of the spinach. Place it in a large bowl and add the ground beef, eggs, salt, bread crumbs, and pepper. Knead and mix together. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Pour the olive oil directly onto a cookie sheet; do not line with tin foil, you will want to be able to scrape the surface later. Place the meatballs on the oiled cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the sheet; set aside. Using a metal spatula or spoon, scrape the drippings and oil form the cookie sheet into a soup pot. Sautee the onion in these drippings over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes or until the onion gets soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, tomatoes with their liquid, kidney beans with their liquid, oregano and basil. Cover. Reduce the heat. You want it to simmer for 10 minutes but not reach a full boil. Add the carrots, celery, and the garlic. Cover and simmer another 10 mintues. Stir in the pasta. Re-cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir once or twice to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Place the meatballs into the soup and heat through. If you are making this soup in advance, some of the liquid may get soaked up into the meaballs and pasta. If this happens, just add another cup or two of beef broth when reheating.Click Here To Return To The Recipe List This Page Generated By: |