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.

Our Version of Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Add a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a nice finish.

Recipe from http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

12 Servings

If you are craving a meaty, beany, pasta soup, this is the ticket. Your family will love it.  Save time and brown the meat on one day and make the soup on another day.  Using a slow cooker makes this soup even more convenient.  This recipe does make a lot of soup.  My slow cooker was full to the brim.  Make sure you use a large crock pot or cut the recipe in half! 

2 lbs. ground beef (I used 1/2 pound to 1 pound of local ground sweet sausage. This soup is quite meaty, so if you are cutting back on meat or if you are on a tight budget, cutting the amount of meat to 1/2 pound will not adversely affect this soup.)

1 onion, chopped

3 carrots, shredded

1 cup celery, chopped

2 (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz.) can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used cannelloni beans.)

4 cups beef stock

3 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

5 teaspoons parsley (optional)

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce (I used Local Folks hot sauce.)

1 (20 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce (I used Field Day Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce.)

8 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni.)

Brown ground beef or pork in large skillet. Drain fat.  Place the meat on paper towels to absorb as much fat as possible.  Add beef or pork and all ingredients except the pasta into a large crock pot. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.*** (See note.)

***Note:  When making soups with pasta, it’s best to cook the pasta separately and then add it to the soup. Pasta in soups, if left in the soup over time, will become mushy. So, if you plan to eat ALL of the soup at once (say you have a big family or you are having a dinner party) go ahead and add the cooked pasta to the entire pot of soup just before serving.  If you plan to serve the soup over several days, make the pasta as directed and then toss it with a bit of olive oil.  Add a bit of pasta to each soup bowl before serving the soup. Save the extra pasta in a covered dish in the fridge and add it to the soup as you need it.  If you plan to freeze the soup for later, freeze it without the pasta.  Make a fresh batch of pasta for the thawed soup.

Beef in Herb Wine Sauce

Makes 6 servings

Recipe from Ellen Hopkins

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

My best buddy, Ellen, is a wonderful cook and I’ve been fortunate to share many meals with her.  The last time I visited her, she made this delectable, husband-pleasing dish and served it alongside cooked noodles, perfectly steamed broccoli and a spinach salad.  You can get all the ingredients, including local beef, from Lost River Market & Deli.

½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup unsalted butter

2 ½ lbs. lean beef, cut into 1 ½” cubes (use top quality round or sirloin tip)

½ tsp. garlic salt or 1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ Tablespoons flour

1 cup beef broth, divided

1 ½ cup dry red wine, divided

¼ teaspoon each of dried marjoram, thyme, oregano and Kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Sauté the mushroom slices in the butter until tender and then set aside. 

Toss the beef cubes in the flour and garlic salt (or garlic.)

Brown the beef cubes in a Dutch oven.

When the meat is well browned, add ¾ cup of the beef broth, 1 cup of the red wine, the dried herbs and salt and pepper. 

Cover the Dutch oven tightly and simmer over low heat on top of the stove or in a 300° F oven about 2 hours, adding the remaining broth and wine in several batches. 

Add the mushrooms and cook 20 to 30 minutes longer or until meat is tender. 

Serve with egg noodles or brown rice. 

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

Gourmet, November 1996 via Smitten Kitchen

Yield: 9 cups

After what was an unseasonably warm January, the frost is back on the pumpkin and since I failed to make this soup back when the pumpkins were in the patch, I decided to make up for it now that it’s February.  The pumpkin flavor is subtle. It adds color, fiber and nutrients to the soup that makes this a hearty winter soup good for your family.  Be sure to serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream or non-fat plain Greek yogurt and toasted pumpkin seeds.  Those additions really take this delicious meal to a new level and make this soup especially nice for a party.

Three 15 ½ oz. cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained

1 (15 ½ oz.) can drained canned tomatoes, chopped

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup minced shallot (about 2 large shallots)

4 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

4 cups beef broth

One 16-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup dry Sherry

1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice

3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Garnish: sour cream or plain non-fat Greek yogurt and lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (toast the seeds in a dry skillet until they pop and are browned)

In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes. **

In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean puree. ** Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season the soup with salt and pepper.

Serve soup garnished with sour cream or plain yogurt and toasted pumpkin seeds.

**Note: If you have an immersion blender, you can skip the food processor step and blend the soup before adding the ham