Minestrone soup has been the backbone of Italian peasant cuisine for centuries. Traditionally made with every vegetable in the kitchen or whatever is in season, minestrone often includes pasta or rice. While minestrone is often vegetarian, some recipes include beef. Adding meat results from the plentifully available and affordable beef that Italian immigrants to New York City found when they arrived in the late 1800s. This meatball minestrone recipe makes the savory soup a well-rounded meal.
Recipe Servings: 8
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Total Time
1 hour
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and chopped
- 1½ lbs lean ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup dry Italian-style breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- 8 cups beef broth
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with liquid
- 1 lb red kidney beans, with liquid
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 cup elbow or rotini pasta, uncooked
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, place the spinach, pressed and dried to remove unnecessary water, then add the ground beef, eggs, salt, bread crumbs, and pepper, and knead until well mixed.
- Working with hands, shape mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- Prepare a cookie sheet, greasing with olive oil.
- Place the meatballs on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then set aside.
- Scrape the drippings from the cookie sheet into a large soup pot.
- Over medium-high heat, cook onions in the bottom of the soup pot for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add broth, tomatoes and liquid, and the kidney beans and liquid, stirring.
- Season with oregano and basil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, not allowing the mixture to reach a full boil.
- Add the carrots, celery, and garlic, and simmer, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the pasta, re-cover, and simmer for a final 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Add the meatballs to the soup and heat through.
- Serve hot.
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