This is my twist on the classic minestrone soup. I decided to add meatballs to the soup to turn it into a heartier one pot meals because it’s February and we all need some comfort. I decided to keep the soup vegetarian by substituting Beyond Ground Beef for regular ground beef. You can also use it in chili and my vegetarian meaty lasagna, This was my first time using it to make meatballs. The results were excellent. They were tender and moist.
The usual meatball binders, of egg and breadcrumbs were employed, along with lots of finely diced onion to add moisture. For spice, I added ground fennel seed and lots of Aleppo pepper. I used a mini meatball scoop to form them and baked them in the oven while the soup was cooking.
Tips for success:
- Yes, there are are lots of ingredients. Don’t let this scare you. This is not a weekday soup recipe. Set aside some time on the weekend, put on some music or a podcast or binge some old episodes of Top Chef, and get chopping. I like to chop everything before I start cooking. Then I know I won’t forget any ingredients.You will be rewarded with a big hug in a bowl.
- The ingredients are very customizable. The basics include a mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery), but the additional vegetables could be whatever is seasonal or you just happen to have hanging around in your fridge. I used butternut squash, zucchini and red potato.
- When sautéing your mirepoix, keep the heat on medium. You don’t want to brown the veggies at this point, you’re just looking to soften them. If they start to stick to the bottom of the pot or get too dark, add about 1/4 cup of water to slow things down.
- I added kale, but feel free to use spinach or any other hearty green. For the pasta, you want a small shape, like macaroni, orecchiette, small shells or ditalini.
- Don’t rush the cooking/browning of the tomato paste. You really want the tomato paste to get dark brown. There is a ton of flavour and umami in tomato paste and we want to take advantage of that by browning to develop those deep rich flavours.
- If you’re not saving your parmesan rinds, after you’ve grated all the cheese, start now. Throw them in a bag in the freezer and add a rind or two of Parmesan cheese to the simmering soup. Parmesan is packed with umami. The savoury flavour of the cheese will enrich your soup.
- Just before serving stir in about a Tablespoon of sherry or red wine vinegar. This tiny bit of acid wakes the sop up.
Watch how the soup comes together in this video.
Meatball Minestrone Soup
This is my twist on a classic minestrone soup. The addition of meatballs makes it a hearty, comforting one pot meal. I used a plant-based ground beef (Beyond Ground Beef) to make my meatballs and was thrilled with the results. The meatballs were tender and moist.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef or plant-based ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finelyminced or grated on microplane
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon Morton's Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Soup
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 ribs celery peeled and chopped into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or ½ teaspoon Morton’s Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 28 ounce can of crushed or diced Italian plum tomatoes with juices
- 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 medium red potato washed and diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1/2 small butternut squash peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 small zucchini peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces
- 1 rind Parmesan cheese
- 1 15 ounce can of white beans drained and rinsed
- 1 pound black kale (also known as Lacinato, Dinosaur or Tuscan kale) center ribs removed, and leaves sliced into thin julienne strips
- 1 cup dried small pasta, (shells or orecchiette)
- 1 Tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar
For Serving
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.Place all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using your clean hands, gently mix until well combined. Form small meatballs, using either a Tablespoon measure or a 1¼ inch mini scooper and arrange on baking sheet. Roast meatballs for 18-20 minutes until meatballs are well browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
- While meatballs are roasting, heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion and sauté over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. If veggies start to burn or brown too quickly, add ¼ cup water to pan and continue cooking until veggies have softened and become translucent.
- Add tomato paste and stir well, until all the vegetables are coated in the tomato paste. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes until everything is well browned. There is flavour in the brown, you are developing deep flavours here. Add Aleppo, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper and stir well.
- Add canned tomatoes and stock. Stir well, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add potatoes, squash, zucchini, and Parmesan rind. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to simmer, partially cover the pot and simmer soup for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes and squash are tender.
- Remove lid, add beans and pasta and simmer, uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Add kale and meatballs and simmer for another 5 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind and discard.
- Just before serving, stir in 1 Tablespoon vinegar.
- Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 459kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 25gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 1772mgPotassium: 1307mgFiber: 8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 19399IUVitamin C: 101mgCalcium: 374mgIron: 5mg
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