Description
Hearty minestrone soup from Italy brings warmth and comfort to family dinners. Seasonal vegetables, beans, and pasta create a nourishing meal you’ll savor with each spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 cups (1.9 L) chicken broth
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
- ½ cup (75 g) small pasta (orzo or acini di pepe)
- 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped (or escarole/kale)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup (30 g) breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Meat Preparation: Thoroughly blend ground beef with Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a roomy mixing bowl until ingredients are uniformly integrated.
- Meatball Formation: Craft uniform, compact spheres with the meat mixture, maintaining consistent sizing to guarantee balanced cooking and elegant presentation.
- Cooking Technique: Select between two methods – either roast meatballs on a lined baking sheet in a heated oven until golden and completely cooked, or skillfully sear them in a skillet with a delicate olive oil coating.
- Vegetable Foundation: In a substantial soup pot, heat olive oil and delicately sauté onions, carrots, and celery until vegetables become translucent and release an aromatic fragrance.
- Broth Development: Stream chicken broth into the vegetable mixture, creating a rich liquid foundation, and enhance with strategic seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Meatball Integration: Gently nestle the prepared meatballs into the simmering broth, allowing them to permeate the liquid with their robust flavor profile.
- Pasta and Greens Incorporation: Introduce dried pasta directly into the pot, stirring intermittently to prevent adhesion, and simultaneously add fresh spinach, allowing both components to cook simultaneously until pasta reaches perfect al dente consistency and greens wilt elegantly.
Notes
- Master Meat Mixing: Blend ingredients thoroughly to distribute flavors evenly and ensure consistent texture throughout meatballs.
- Perfect Meatball Sizing: Create uniform bite-sized spheres for even cooking and attractive presentation that guarantees each piece cooks identically.
- Gentle Vegetable Sautéing: Cook onions, carrots, and celery slowly to develop deep, rich flavor foundation without burning or harsh browning.
- Pasta Cooking Tip: Stir pasta occasionally during simmering to prevent clumping and achieve ideal al dente texture without overcooking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg