Meatball Minestrone

By Taraespo

A favorite, but a lot of work! Get someone to help!

Ingredients

• Soup:
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 lg carrots, chopped
• 1 cup green beans, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 sm zucchini, chopped
• 3 cups cabbage, shredded
• 5 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 28oz can stewed tomatoes
• 1 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15oz can Northern beans
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 T. basil, oregano & parsley
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt & red pepper
• 1 cup ditalini pasta, parcooked
• 1 cup red wine
• Meatball:
• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 3/4 lb Italian sausage, loose
• 1 med onion, chopped
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 lg garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
• 1 T. basil and oregano
• 1 tsp. salt and pepper
• 4 T parmesan

Preparation

Step 1

Soup:
Simmer onions and garlic in olive oil. Add all ingredients up to pasta. Simmer, covered for an hour. Add pasta, wine and meatballs and cook for another 1/2 hour.

Meatballs:
Form small meatballs and brown in oven on greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350.