Garlic Girl’s Italian Meatball Soup

I love soup. And I love almost any kind – especially if it’s ethnic, spicy and served so hot it burns your mouth. My mom used to make homemade soups like Split Pea (cooked with a ham bone), Chili, Chicken Soup, and my favorite of all time: Italian Meatball Soup – especially on a cold New England day. If you’re someone who is just learning to cook, making soup is a great way to build your confidence since it’s basically up to you what you want to put in it. Here’s my version of a good Italian Meatball soup. You can always substitute the vegatables I chose for your favorites. Have fun!

Nina’s Italian Meatball Soup

• 1 1/2 lb of ground beef
• handful of fresh, finely chopped parsely
• 2 tsp each of dried basil, oregano, ground black pepper, salt
• 3/4 c bread crumbs (plain is fine)
• 1/2+ grated parmesan cheese (I prefer Pecorino)
• 5 cloves of freshly chopped garlic
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk or half-n-half
• 3-4 sticks of celery
• 3-4 carrots
• 1 large white or yellow onion
• 1/2 stick of butter
• About 5 cups of fresh, chopped mustard greens, and/or swiss chard or bok choy- you can use all of these or replace with other veggies you like better, like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.
• 1/2 1b or more of micro pasta like, Acini De Pepe, Orzo (rice-shaped pasta), Alphabets. Or you can use any pasta you like. In the dish above, I used spaghetti (although the mini pasta is so much better – especially for kids).

Now you’re ready to start:

• Fill large pot/kettle with water (and two tbls of kosher salt) and begin heating to boil.
• In large bowl, mix together ground beef, 1 tsp each of oregano, basil, salt, pepper, fresh parsley, 2 tbls of grated parmesan cheese, the bread crumbs, half-n-half (or milk), and the egg.
• Roll tiny meatballs (the size of a pearl onion) from that mixture and when the water starts to boil, you can start dropping them in.
• Let them gently boil for about 15 minutes and skim the foam or fat from the top. You can also remove the meatballs, and pour broth through a sieve or cheesecloth if you like a very clear broth.
• Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain add butter to the pasta so that it doesn’t stick together.
• Now you’re going to add the veggies to the meatballs and broth: start with the carrots as these take the longest, then the celery, etc.
• Add the remaining spices, salt to taste, and as much fresh parsley as you like. You can also add a splash of beer or white wine. Cook for about 40 minutes so that all the flavors have a chance to blend together.
• To serve, first line up number of bowls per each person you’re serving. Spoon about a 1/2 c or more of pasta into each bowl.
• Now scoop out meatballs and veggies, and then with ladle get the broth and pour over the contents of the bowl so that it’s not too soupy (the tops of the meatballs should be sticking out of the broth).
• Now spoon parmesan cheese over the top and then black pepper and some more fresh parsley if you like.

Serving Suggestion: This can definitely stand alone as a meal with some warm wholegrain or French Bread with butter. Enjoy!