Herbed Meatball Minestrone

By sunriseko

Ingredients

• 1 t. fennel seeds
• 2 t. oregano
• 1 lb. ground beef
• salt and pepper
• 1 t. olive oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 c. sliced carrots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 c. green pepper
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 1 c. chopped parsley
• 2 c. canned whole tomatoes
• 1 can V8 tomato juice
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 4 c. water
• 1 pkg. small pasta
• 1 can canolli beans rinsed and drained
• 2 c. washed spinach
• 1 c. chopped cabbage
• 1/2 c. fresh basil torn into small pieces
• 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Mix fennel seeds and oregano into ground beef. Add a little salt and pepper and form into meatballs. Brown on all sideds. Remove from pan and add onion, green pepper, celery, carrots and garlic to pan. Saute 2 minutes without browning the vegetables. Add tomatoes, including juice. Add tomatoe juice, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes. Add spinach, cabbage, parsley and basil to soup. Return meatballs to the soup, stir and cook to wilt spinach, cabbage and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit for several hours for flavors to mingle. Heat but do not boil before serving and spoon over cooked pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese when serving.