Italian Meatball Soup

I love this one-pot soup - it is a bowl of comfort food!

Enjoy!



Italian Meatball Soup

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Chopped Onions
Couple pinches of Salt
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 - 14.5 oz Can Basil, Garlic & Oregano Diced Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Qt Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
Couple Dashes Hot Sauce
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes (or more if you want some heat)
Meatballs
1/4 Cup Parmesan, freshly grated
8 oz Ditalini Pasta
Pinch of Dried Oregeno
Pinch of Dried Basil

Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium/high heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent (about 3-4 minutes), add a little bit of salt, then add garlic to pan and saute for about a minute more.  Then add diced tomatoes (with juice), tomato paste, broth, Italian seasoning, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and meatballs.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  While still simmering, add Parmesan and pasta and continue to simmer another 15 minutes.  Remove pot from heat, add oregano and basil.

Notes:

• I buy a tube of tomato paste and keep on hand in the fridge for these kinds of recipes.
• I use 24 frozen Italian meatballs (mine are from Costco because it makes this recipe easy to throw together) - definitely use your own baked meatballs if you prefer.
• I find my Ditalini pasta at Walmart, but you can use any kind of small pasta.
• The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits - do not be surprised if it turns to a casserole.  You can add more broth or another can of tomatoes to bring up the liquid or reduce/remove the pasta.
• Feeds about 4-6 people.