March 2007 | Hearty Meatball Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef or bison
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves, divided
- 1/4 cup uncooked oatmeal
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 (14 oz) cans reduced sodium beef broth
- 1 (14 oz) can "no added salt" tomatoes, undrained
- 1 medium potato, cubed
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 small bunch of washed fresh spinach or 10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed
Instructions
- Combine meat, 1/4 of the onion, 1/3 of the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano in a large bowl. Add oatmeal and egg; mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls; set aside.
- Cook and stir remaining onion and garlic in hot oil in a large pot on medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add broth and tomatoes with thier liquid, bring to boil. Add vegetable and oregano.
- Add meatballs. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
Nutrition Facts
Makes six servings.
- Calories: 206
- Total Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
- Sodium: 164mg
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 14g
*Lower fat tip for high fat ground beef (80/20, 85/15):
Typically the leaner the meat, the more expensive, however boiling higher fat meats and draining off the cooking water helps to decrease the fat content. If you use the higher fat ground beef in this recipe, boil the meatballs in a separate pot of water. When the meatballs are cooked through, scoop them out and toss them into the soup pot.
