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.

Slow-Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Serves 6

Recipe from SkinnyTaste Fast & Slow by Gina Homolka

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Our local food co-op had loads of local peppers and so I decided to make this soup that is reminiscent of stuffed bell peppers.  This soup is made in the slow cooker.  It’s low calories and by substituting cooked brown rice for the white rice, it’s a bit healthier.  We thought this tasted even better the next day.  So, this would be a perfect meal to prep on the weekend for those busy weeknights.  Next time I make this, I’ll use ground turkey for a little change.

1 pound 95% lean ground beef

¾ teaspoon kosher salt (Optional)

1 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1¾ cups canned tomato sauce

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

Freshly ground pepper

3 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

In a large nonstick skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef that has been sprinkled with salt.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the beef into small bits.  When the meat has browned, drain the fat from the pan.  Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer to a slow cooker and add the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, marjoram, and black pepper to taste.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Ladle the soup into 6 serving bowls. Top each serving with ½ cup of the cooked brown rice.  Serve hot.

Notes:  I used 3 Poblano peppers, 1 red pepper, and 1 jalapeno pepper because that’s what the co-op had.  I didn’t measure them.  I also used Homemade Vegetable Broth, which is so easy to make using scraps.  By using homemade, you’ll also cut down on sodium.

Nutritional Info for 1 Serving (1 ½ cups soup plus ½ cup brown rice):  347 calories; 7.5 g fat; 2.5 g saturated fat; 48 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 23 g protein; 12 g sugars; 927 mg sodium (I was able to reduce the sodium by using homemade vegetable broth and omitting the salting of the ground beef.  We thought the soup was plenty salty with all the tomatoes.)

Slow-Cooker Beer-Braised Short Ribs

Recipe from Cooks Illustrated

Husband-Tested in Ellen’s Kitchen (Alice’s Friend)

Serves 4-6

Recently, my good buddy, Ellen, invited me to spend a weekend with her.  She’s a terrific cook and always serves up wonderful meals when I visit.  Her husband is a meat and potatoes man.  Since he was in attendance for this particular meal, Ellen made this fabulous rib dinner.  She began this rib dish on the first morning, browning the ribs and prepping them in the slow cooker.  When they were finished cooking, she put the ribs in the fridge overnight so that she could scoop off the unwanted fat from the cooking liquid before serving.  She served the ribs with the succulent sauce with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots along with Beet and Apple Salad.  Next time you have special guests, do make these make-ahead ribs.

5 pounds English-style beef short ribs (6-8 ribs), trimmed of excess fat

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 pounds onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 (12 ounce) bottles dark beer (The dark beer creates a sauce with a lot of personality.)

2 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca (The tapioca will thicken the sauce as it cooks.)

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, divided

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

12 pitted prunes (The prunes will melt away over the long simmering time, adding color and deep, complex flavor to the sauce.)

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Season the rubs with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Add half the ribs, meaty side down, and cook until they are well browned, about 5 minutes.  Turn each rib on one side and cook until well browned, about 1 minute.  Repeat with the remaining sides.  Transfer the ribs to a slow cooker insert, arranging them meaty side down.  Repeat with the remaining ribs. Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet.  Add the butter and reduce the heat to medium.  When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook, coating the onions with the tomato paste, until the paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the beer; bring it to a simmer, and cook, scraping the browned bits from the pan, until the foaming subsides, about 5 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the tapioca, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, soy sauce, and prunes.  Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker insert with the ribs. Set the slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until the ribs are fork-tender, 10 to 11 hours.  (Alternately, cook on high for 4-5 hours.) Transfer the ribs to a baking dish and strain the liquid into a bowl.  Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, use a spoon to skim off the hardened fat from the liquid.  Place the short ribs, meaty side down, and liquid in a Dutch oven and reheat over medium heat until warmed through, about 20 minutes.  Transfer the ribs to a serving platter.  Whisk the mustard and the remaining teaspoon of thyme into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the ribs.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing the remaining sauce separately.