Meatball Mondays are here! Take advantage of this limited time deal and stock up on scrumptious meatballs for easy meals throughout the week. Spaghetti and meatballs and meatballs subs are on the short list of meatball favorites, but in case you’re looking for something different, we’ve got just the thing.
Philly has gotten a little chilly lately and fall weather beckons the warmth of a hearty soup. We’ve taken our meatballs and combined them with a few pantry staples to create a delicious weeknight meal. This soup is not only a welcome comfort food, but it’s nutritionally balanced to boot with spinach and white beans.
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves about 4
Ingredients:
12 meatballs
1 quart of beef stock
12 oz can of crushed tomatoes
12 oz can of cannellini beans
½ cup small pasta
1 bag of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 diced onion
1 diced carrot
2 sliced celery ribs
3 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 heaping TBSP of dried Italian herbs
2 TBSP olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Your favorite grating cheese (we love
Parmigiano Reggiano)
*1 piece of Parmigiano cheese rind for the broth
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Directions:
1. Begin with a glug of olive oil in a large pot. Gently cook the onions, carrot, celery, and garlic on medium heat until they are soft.
2. Add the beef stock and can of crushed tomatoes. Adjust the heat to a simmer. Add the dry spices and cheese rind if you have one.
*Did you know you can use spent Parmigiano rinds to add extra umami to your soups and sauces?! Just throw in a rind while it simmers and pull it out before you eat it. We like to use all parts of the cheese when we can.
3. Mix in the pasta and simmer for about 15 minutes until the pasta is just al dente. If you cook the pasta for too long, they’ll just get very mushy and fall apart in the soup.
4. Add in the fresh spinach, beans and meatballs last and simmer for another 15 minutes. Remember to pull out that cheese rind when you’re done!
5. Finish off with a pinch of some sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
Cozy up to a warm bowl of soup. Add a generous topping of grated cheese and enjoy with some crusty bread. Oh no! Is your bread a little too crusty, maybe even stale? That’s OK. In fact, stale bread is meant for this kind of soup. Put a piece in the bottom of your bowl and cover with the soup. The bread just falls apart and adds a wonderful richness to the broth. Trust us.
Mangia!
