Hi Housewives!

Soup is one of my all time favorite things to make and I’ve been told that I make excellent soups.  I have several different soup recipes and I am going to share this one with you.  A friend of mine named Gina shared this recipe with me awhile back and I’ve made variations of it ever since.

• 1 zucchini
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 sticks of celery chopped
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 4 carrots chopped
• 2 cans of vegetable broth
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• ground turkey meat for meatballs
• ditalini pasta (or any other type of small pasta)

First, make your meatballs however you normally would.  I never measure when making my meatballs, its just by eye.  You can use ground beef or a mixture of beef, pork and veal if you prefer.  I’ll share my meatball recipe at a later time, although that’s a big Italian secret…LOL

Heat some extra virgin olive oil in big soup pot.  When heated, fry your meatballs.  When browned but not necessarily cooked completely start adding your veggies.  When onions are translucent, add 2 cans of vegetable broth and diced tomatoes.  I then add 2 cans full of water.  Next, add the minced garlic cloves and some torn celery leaves (they pack a lot of flavor).  Let simmer for about 1-2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile boil a pot of salted water for your pasta and cook accordingly.  I prefer ditalini with soups.  When ready spoon pasta into bowl and then add your soup to it.  Do not add the pasta to your soup pot as it will continue cooking the pasta and make it overdone.  It will also end up soaking up all of the soup.  Top with some grated cheese if you like and enjoy!

You can add any other veggies you like to this as well as a can of rinsed cannellini beans.  I added escarole once and it was great too! You can add quartered potatoes also but if you do then I would not have it with pasta.

This is also something that can be cooked in your slow cooker.  Put everything in it and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Enjoy!

RHC