Meatball Minestrone Medley
Servings: 8 (1.5-2 cups per serving)It’s soup season! While I can easily hit up my old favorites, its fun to play around with combinations of soups I have pinned, made before, or just with the ingredients that I had on hand. And that is how this soup came to be! It’s filling with a variety of nutrients to warm you on a rainy fall day or just when you have the itch for a good bowl of soup! You can change out the veggies for ones you enjoy or have on hand too. Be flexible here!
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado oil or ghee
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium to large white onion, diced
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
6 cups organic bone broth (chicken or beef here)
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 -1 pound fresh green beans, cut in halves or thirds
1/3 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
1-2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Method
Prep first! This is super helpful. So do all of your chopping first.
Then heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Cook your onion, garlic, carrots, and celery for 7-8 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, and spices. Allow to combine for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bone broth and quinoa. Bring to a boil and let reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the green beans and meatballs and continue to simmer for an additional 15-30 minutes allowing the flavors to come together.
Dish up!
Meatballs
1.5 lbs ground pork (you could also use ground chicken, turkey or grass-fed beef)
¼ cup crumbs (I use gf crackers, chips, or even pretzels - whatever I have on hand that is going a bit stale) I like Simple Mills, Siete, or Quinn for cleaner brands
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon Italian blend
1 egg
Dash of Salt and pepper
Method
Mix all ingredients together - hands work best here. Wet your hands with cold water to keep the meat from sticking as much. Same when you form the balls before cooking. You can also use a cookie scoop to form the meatballs, but you are going for about 1-inch meatballs. It helps a ton to do the mixing right before you are ready to cook.
Cook on medium-high heat in 1 tablespoon of ghee.
Rotate every 3-4 minutes once each side has browned.
Add them to the soup for the last 15 minutes of simmering to add to the flavor.
