Pasta-Meatball Minestrone

Here's a bowl of Pasta-Meatball Minestrone served along with Seasoned Flatbread.

Recipe from Soups, Stews & Oven Lovin’ Breads (Pillsbury)

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

About 7 ½ cups

I was thumbing through some old recipes I had collected and came across this one that I remember being delish.  My husband and I rarely eat red meat anymore, so I decided to make this soup again, but with some adjustments to suit our more healthful diet. The recipe below is in its original state, but be sure to read the notes at the end of the recipe to see how I make this soup much more nutritious and still very satisfying.

½ lb. lean ground beef

½ lb. sweet Italian sausage

2 Tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 Tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large egg

¼ cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 thinly sliced carrot

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 cups beef broth or Homemade BeefStock

1 (16 oz.) can (2 cups) tomatoes, undrained, cut up

1 cup uncooked rotini (spiral macaroni) or whole-wheat macaroni

1 small zucchini, sliced

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sausage, bread crumbs, 1 Tablespoon Parmesan, salt, pepper, and egg.  Mix well.  Form into ¾-inch meatballs.  (I used a small ice cream scoop to form the balls.) Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a 4-6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook the meatballs along with the onion and garlic until the meatballs are browned, turning frequently.  Drain.  Add the remaining ingredients except the zucchini and Parmesan cheese.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer another 10 minutes.  Add the zucchini.  Cook, covered, about 5 minutes or so until the zucchini is bright green and crisp-tender and the pasta is of the desired doneness.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information per 1½ cup serving: 260 calories; 17 g protein; 16 g carbohydrates; 14 g fat; 100 mg cholesterol; (Using only half of the meatballs in the soup, freezing the rest for later, and replacing those with chickpeas will reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol.); 975 mg sodium (If you use Homemade Beef Stock and low-salt tomatoes, you can control (lessen) the amount of sodium in this soup by quite a bit.); 550 mg potassium

Notes:

·       Save some time and mess by doubling or tripling the meatball recipe and then freezing the meatballs. Then when you wish to make this soup, just thaw the meatballs and proceed with the recipe.

·       When draining the meatballs, I place a couple of layers of paper towels in a colander.  Then, I put the browned meatballs in the colander. After a few minutes, I use fresh paper towels to pat the meatballs well to get rid of as much fat as possible before proceeding with the recipe (or freezing the meatballs.)

·       Using whole-wheat pasta and Homemade Beef Stock will make this soup just a bit more healthful.  Also, using fewer meatballs per recipe and adding more veggies (like green beans, kale, or spinach) and/or even some beans like chickpeas or pinto beans (rinse and drain before using) will add fiber and nutrients.  This will also make the soup more economical.

·       Using whole-grain bread crumbs would make this soup healthier too.  No need to buy bread crumbs already in a box or package.  Just process a couple of slices of whole-grain bread in a food processor.  Add a bit of dried oregano and basil and you’ve got Italian breadcrumbs.  Store extra in the freezer if making in advance.  Thaw before using.