Minestrone With Meatballs
It’s snowing and it’s soup time! I decided to make a wonderful Minestrone With Meatballs soup. Minestrone is a hearty, thick soup made of vegetables and pasta (Datalini). You can make it with or without meat. For a twist, I added meatballs. Beans can also be added. Besides the vegetables that I have added below, you can add others as well, like zucchini, potatoes and/or green beans. This is really one of those soups that you can make with whatever you have on hand.
Datalini is the pasta that is typically used to make Minestrone. You can substitute with Orzo or elbow macaroni.
The first thing you will need to do is to make the meatballs. In a medium or large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Roll into small balls, coat in flour and fry in a pan until they are cooked through. I do a couple to begin with to taste the seasonings and see if I need to adjust anything. Set the cooked meatballs aside.
Datalini Pasta – I cook my pasta separately and add it to the soup at the end. If you want to add the uncooked pasta directly to the soup, you may need to add more chicken stock.
For the soup, you will need a large soup or stock pot. Prep all of you vegetables. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until they begin to soften, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the remaining soup ingredients to the pot except the Datalini pasta (see above). Bring to a boil and let simmer for up to 1 hour or just until everything is cooked through.
Add the cooked Datalini pasta. Mix well to make sure they are not stuck together. Add the cooked meatballs and gently stir to mix. Serve immediately with a little grated Pecorino Romano cheese one the side for your guests to use.
Just a side note: The Meatball mix makes a flavorful hamburger.
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Minestrone With Meatballs
A hearty, but light Italian soup made with vegetables and pasta. For a twist, I added meatballs.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, small dice
- 2 carrots, small dice
- 2 celery ribs, small dice
- 1 large green pepper, small dice
- ½ small head green cabbage, small dice
- ½ pound baby spinach, remove harder stems
- 28 ounce San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed through fingers
- 48 ounces Chicken Stock (or enough to cover everything)
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 cup Datalini Pasta
MEATBALLS: - 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
- ½-1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Flour for coating (about 1 cup)
Directions
- Step 1 Meatballs: Mix all the ingredients together in a medium or large bowl. Roll into small balls, coat in flour and fry in a pan until they are cooked through. I do a couple to begin with to taste the seasonings and see if I need to adjust anything. Set the cooked meatballs aside.
- Step 2 Datalini Pasta: Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Set aside. If you want to add the uncooked pasta directly to the soup, you may need to add more chicken stock.
- Step 3 Minestrone Soup: You will need a large soup or stock pot. Prep all of you vegetables. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until they begin to soften, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the remaining soup ingredients to the pot except the Datalini pasta (see above). Bring to a boil and let simmer for up to 1 hour or just until everything is cooked through.
- Step 4 Add the cooked Datalini pasta. Mix well to make sure they are not stuck together.
- Step 5 Add the cooked meatballs and gently stir to mix.
- Step 6 Serve immediately with a little grated Pecorino Romano cheese on the side for your guests to use.
