Italian Meatball Soup - Our best bites pg. 105

 Flavorful, bite-sized Italian meatballs are simmered in a tomato and chicken broth soup with garlic, onion and Italian herbs.  You can definitely serve this crowd-pleasing soup for company.  Everyone who tries this soup loves it.  I often double it in two stock pots and have enough to save for later.  One batch makes 3 quarts and serves 8-10.

SOUP:

1 Recipe Italian Meatballs pg. 163 (see below)

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

5 (14 oz cans of chicken broth) (70 oz. or 8.75 cups)

1 cup of water

1 28 can crushed tomatoes

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup small pasta, uncooked

2 cups spinach, thinly sliced

Italian Meatballs:

(use in soup or for spaghetti and meatballs or topped with marinara sauce and melted provolone in a classic meatball sub sandwhich)

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound Sweet Italian Sausage

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesean cheese

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1/4 cup dehydrated onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Turn on over broiler.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick spray.  Set aside.

2. Gently combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. (use meat disposable gloves).  Shape the meat mixture into meatballs.  A cookie scoop is great for helping maintain a uniform size, you can shape to your liking.  Med scoop around 30 balls, and small cookie scoop bit size soup bites... I've done both

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 7-10 min. or until the meatballs are becoming brown and gragrant.  If you're going to be simmering the meatballs in soup or some other type of sauce, it's best to cook them until they're just brown so they can finish cooking in the sauce or soup and release some of their flavor into the cooking liquid.

to freeze meatballs for later:

  Broil the meatballs until just brown and they can hold their shape; they won't be cooked through.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool, then place the entire baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until the meatballs are solid.  Transfer the meatballs to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.  If you're making Spaghetti and meatballs or Soup, drop the frozen meatballs into the simmering sauce and continue simmering until the meatballs are completely cooked.

I typically use ditalini noodles, but any small noodle works~