Italian Meatball Soup

I have a terrible sore throat and stuffy nose so I wanted to make a comforting soup for dinner. I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's site and decided to give it a try. I love all the ingredients in this hearty and filling soup and the meatballs turned out tender and very flavorful. It was fairly simple to make and made the house smell delicious while simmering. We all enjoyed this soup, especially my daughter.

Italian Meatball Soup:

Adapted recipe by Latestposter.blogspot.com

Original recipe by The Pioneer Woman

Meatballs:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 93/7)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dried oregano, to taste

Soup:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup of russet potato, peeled & diced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Dried oregano, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups of beef broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups of green cabbage, chopped
• Parmesan cheese, garnish

Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs together and form small balls. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once it's hot, add the meatballs and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned all over. Remove the meatballs from the Dutch oven to a plate. Cover with tinfoil and set aside.

Turn the stove down to medium low and add the onions, carrot, celery, and potato. Cook stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, beef broth, tomato paste to the Dutch oven, season with oregano, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cover with a lid and let the soup simmer for 1 hour. Add the meatballs and cabbage to the soup, taste and re-season if needed. Serve topped with freshly Parmesan if desired. Enjoy.