ehh.. dia nak suruh masak ke ni..
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This is a hearty, delicious, make-you-feel-good soup that's equally suited for a weeknight meal or a casual supper with friends. Bite-sized meatballs, made extra delicious with freshly grated Parmesan and minced garlic, are added to a flavorful broth that's stock (pun intended) full of vegetables. Serve it with a big loaf of crusty Italian bread and plenty of extra Parmesan and the world will immediately feel like a warmer, kinder, gentler place.
I love that quality in a soup.
The Cast of Characters – Meatballs Edition.
Ground beef. Not too lean, but not too fatty.
Fresh parsley. And yes, this is the curly stuff. It's all I have in my neck of the woods this time of year, and it works just fine.
Egg.
Garlic. Look—it's sprouting. IT WANTS TO LIVE!
Freshly grated Parmesan. Makes the meatballs extra scrumptious.
Salt and pepper…
Ground oregano.
And lemon juice!
Throw all the meatball ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Mix it all together. Now, normal people with no hangups might be inclined to execute this step with their bare (clean, please) hands. But I don't like meat under my fingernails. Call me crazy.
Now chill this mixture for 30 minutes to combine all the flavors. Glorious things will happen.
After 30 minutes, roll them into relatively small balls; it'll make about 24 or so. And you can make the meatballs ahead of time and store them, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge until you need 'em.
Or you can just keep moving forward from this point, which is the road I have chosen to take.
The Cast of Characters – Soup Edition.
Beef stock. If you use storebought, go for the lower sodium stuff. Leaves more wriggle room.
Or is it wiggle room? I always get that confused.
That and 87,674,000 other things.
Tomato paste.
A little more salt.
Onion…
Carrots and celery…
Potato.
And cabbage.
Then you need to grab some cheesecloth and make a bouquet garni—or, quite simply, a little bundle of herbs tied with a little twine. In this herb bundle, we'll use parsley…
Peppercorns…
And bay leaves.
Cut a square of a couple of layers of cheesecloth, and place the herbs in the middle.
*Now pretend I'm showing a photo of me gathering and tying the little herb bundle*
*Now pretend I'm organized and on top of things*
*Now pretend I'm petite and tan*
*Thank you for your cooperation.*
Next, chop up the onions…
The carrots…
The celery…
The potatoes. Leave the peel on!
And the cabbage.
I was chasing daylight here. A little dark. Sorry.
Heat a heavy pot over medium-low heat and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. When it's hot, throw in half the meatballs.
Gently turn as they brown. You don't want to cook them through; just get them a little brown on the outside. Total cooking time: 2 minutes for each batch, tops.
Repeat with the rest of the meatballs, then put 'em all on a plate.
Now pour the stock into the pot with all the yummy, juicy bits.
Add a little bit of salt. (Go easy; you can always add a little more later.)
Add the tomato paste, too, and stir it around to combine.
Then drop in the herb bundle.
Now, bring the sucker to a boil.
Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. The flavors from the herb bundle will seep into the brothy mixture and very, very special things will go on.
After 30 minutes, dump in the onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes.
Stir in the veggies, then continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
Even without the meatballs, this is tres, tres yum.
How do you make the little Frenchie sign above vowels in Frenchie words? I missed the day of school where they taught those keystrokes.
Finally, throw in the cabbage…
And the meat-a-balls!
Quickly bring this to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for a short time—8 to 10 minutes at the most. You don't want the meat-a-balls to become too dry.
And that's EET! I can't tell you how wonderful this smells. So aromatic, so heavenly…
So, so wonderful.
Serve it in a pretty bowl, and make sure everyone gets his fair share of the veggies and the meat-a-balls.
And the final nail in the coffin: sprinkle on plenty of Parmesan cheese. Oh, yum.
You just can't know. You can't know till you experience it.
Experience it! You'll absolutely love it.
And don't forget the crusty bread.
Enjoy! Here's the printable recipe:
Italian Meatball Soup
3"x5" Cards | 4"x6" Cards | Full Page | Print
| Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 45 Minutes | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8 |
Ingredients
- Meatballs:
- ¾ pounds Ground Beef
- ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
- 1 whole Egg
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoons Ground Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- SOUP
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 7 cups Low Sodium Beef Stock
- 2 cups Water
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ¾ cups Onion, Chopped
- ¾ cups Carrots, Chopped
- ¾ cups Celery, Chopped
- 1 cup Russet Potato, Chopped (do Not Peel)
- ½ pounds Cabbage Chopped
- Grated Parmesan Cheese To Serve
- TIED IN A CHEESECLOTH BUNDLE
- 4 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced
- 2 whole Bay Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns
Preparation Instructions
To make meatballs, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into small balls and chill for 30 minutes.
Gather 4 tablespoons parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a cheesecloth bundle. Tie to secure.
After chilling, heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a heavy pot. Briefly brown meatballs, then remove to a plate. To pot, add beef stock, water, salt, tomato paste, and herb bag. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30 minutes.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Simmer 15 more minutes. Remove herb bag.
Add cabbage and meatballs. Bring to a boil, then simmer 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.
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~mel
Nyum2
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