Lasagna Soup

Lasagna Soup!

(Makes two servings – each serving has 1 red, 2 yellow, 1 green, and 1 blue)

Notes: I make the meatballs and pasta in advance, then make the broth. To make it easy to measure portions for the 21 Day Fix, I add them to the pan after the stew is prepared. It’s a little extra work, but it makes measuring easier. I also don’t add all the meatballs – I measure about 1 ½ cup into the stew, and then freeze the rest for next time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Italian Meatballs (get recipe here!)

1 cup Fusilli pasta, cooked

2 T diced white onion

2 t minced garlic

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

2 T grated parmesan cheese

Handful chopped basil leaves

Handful chopped italian parsley

more salt and pepper to taste 1/2 c (minus 2 T)

shredded mozzarella cheese

chopped Italian parsley

Step by Step Directions

Add oil, onion, and garlic to the pot. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.

Add chicken broth and tomato sauce.

Bring to a boil and add cooked pasta and cooked meatballs.

Turn down the heat and simmer 5-10 min or until warm.

Mix in Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil and parsley.

Top each bowl with a mixture of mozzarella cheese and parsley.

Italian Meatballs

1 pound ground 93/7 beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 large eggs

1/2 cup grated white onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

To make the meatballs,mix all meatball ingredients by hand in a large bowl.  Roll mixture into bite size balls and place on foil lined baking sheet.  You can brown these on the stove top before baking them, or just bake them. I like to bake just because it doesn’t use up an oil serving.

Bake in oven for 15-20 min at 350.

How many meatballs are in one serving depends on how big you make them.  I measure out 3/4 of a cup and count these meatballs as 1 red serving.  There is a small amount of cheese and onions, but I unless I’m eating the whole batch of meatballs (which I’m not), I don’t stress about it too much.

I like to use these meatballs in my Lasagna Soup.  You can find the recipe for that here!

Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs

I discovered these meatballs a few months ago thanks to my friend Rebekah over at The Tasty Olive.  She shared the recipe with me and I tweaked it to make it a little healthier – baking instead of sauteing, a little less oil, and all organic ingredients.  It was a huge hit with my picky kids – they didn’t even notice the zucchini (score!) and ate it right up without a complaint.   Now, I like to make up a huge batch at one time, with different size meatballs, and freeze them so I can use them later in all my favorite meatball recipes – Italian Wedding Soup, Spaghetti, Meatball Sandwiches and sometimes I even just warm them up for the kids for lunch.  Saves me time and I know they are getting a good product without all the additives like the ones I used to buy at the store!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

(I use all organic ingredients unless I can’t find something organic…  but that rarely happens.)

1 lb 93% lean organic ground turkey

1 zucchini, chopped very fine (or pulsed in a food processor)

1T minced garlic

2 slices whole wheat bread

Milk (just enough to wet the bread)

2 ounces fresh grated Parmesan

Himalayan Pink Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1tsp olive oil (I used basil

Directions

Place bread in a medium bowl.  Moisten the bread with milk, and break apart with your hands (really “smush it up,” as my kids would say.)  Add remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.  Avoid overmixing, as it can create tough meatballs.

Shape meatballs into the size you want them and place on a foil lined baking pan.  Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Use them right away however you want, or freeze them to use in the future!

I like to use these meatballs in my spaghetti, in Italian Wedding Soup, or just to warm up for the kids for lunch.