Remember my advice on whether to give up meat?
Today I am offering you a soup recipe that allows you to have a small portion of meat combined with a generous amount of veggies. The recipe below will feed an army at no cost. Combine the soup with some freshly baked bread and a bit of your favorite cheese, and you will have a great family dinner for the entire week.
Meatball soup
Meatball soup
With 1-2 pounds of ground meat, this soup yields more than 20 portions of soup (hint: use the biggest pot in the house).
For the meatballs you will need: approximately 2 lb. of your favorite ground meat (e.g., pork, beef, turkey, or chicken), 1 cup of uncooked rice (you can vary the ratio of meat to rice according to your taste), 1/2 onion (diced finely or chopped in a blender), salt and black pepper (to taste), 1 Tbsp. dry winter savory (optional).
For the soup you will need one large onion (chopped), 4-5 celery stalks (chopped), 20 whole baby carrots (or 5-8 large carrots cut in chunks), 4-5 medium size potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes), 2 Tbsp. dry peppermint (optional), a bunch of parsley (chopped), 2 Tbsp. dry winter savory (optional), salt and hot pepper flakes to taste.
Preparation
First prepare the meatballs. Mix all meatball ingredients with your hands and form small balls (less than an inch in diameter). You can enlist volunteers for this job. Pile the meatballs on a plate and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to add to the soup.
Soften the onion, carrots and celery in ½ cup of water for five minutes. I do not use oil since the meat releases some fat into the soup. Add 14-16 cups of water, bring to boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes, and add the meatballs by rolling each ball in flour, and then adding it to the pot. If there is need of more water, add it at this time. Bring to boil again, and cook for 30-40 minutes by boiling over low to medium heat. Add salt and hot pepper flakes. Turn off the heat and add the spices: parsley, peppermint, and winter savory (all spices are optional). Both peppermint and winter savory reduce bloating, gas formation, and ease the food digestion.
More of my frugal soup recipes are available here.
For the meatballs you will need: approximately 2 lb. of your favorite ground meat (e.g., pork, beef, turkey, or chicken), 1 cup of uncooked rice (you can vary the ratio of meat to rice according to your taste), 1/2 onion (diced finely or chopped in a blender), salt and black pepper (to taste), 1 Tbsp. dry winter savory (optional).
For the soup you will need one large onion (chopped), 4-5 celery stalks (chopped), 20 whole baby carrots (or 5-8 large carrots cut in chunks), 4-5 medium size potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes), 2 Tbsp. dry peppermint (optional), a bunch of parsley (chopped), 2 Tbsp. dry winter savory (optional), salt and hot pepper flakes to taste.
Preparation
First prepare the meatballs. Mix all meatball ingredients with your hands and form small balls (less than an inch in diameter). You can enlist volunteers for this job. Pile the meatballs on a plate and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to add to the soup.
Soften the onion, carrots and celery in ½ cup of water for five minutes. I do not use oil since the meat releases some fat into the soup. Add 14-16 cups of water, bring to boil and add the potatoes. Boil for 10 minutes, and add the meatballs by rolling each ball in flour, and then adding it to the pot. If there is need of more water, add it at this time. Bring to boil again, and cook for 30-40 minutes by boiling over low to medium heat. Add salt and hot pepper flakes. Turn off the heat and add the spices: parsley, peppermint, and winter savory (all spices are optional). Both peppermint and winter savory reduce bloating, gas formation, and ease the food digestion.
More of my frugal soup recipes are available here.
