TriVita’s Healthy Hearty Soups Part 5 of 5

TriVita’s Minty Albondigas (Meatball) Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped or minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 quarts mixture: chicken stock and water, or beef stock and water
2 or 3 carrots, sliced
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup white rice, raw
1 egg, raw
1/2 cup chopped parsley or mint, or mixture of both to taste
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cup frozen peas (or substitute other vegetable of choice)
1 1/2 tsp crushed oregano
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Directions:
Heat olive oil in medium pan over medium heat, then add garlic and onion. Sauté until tender. Add tomato sauce and stock mixture. Bring all to boil, then simmer. Add sliced carrots. While mixture simmers, prepare meatballs by mixing raw egg, rice, mint and parsley, and salt and pepper into the ground meat, then shaping into meatballs. The meatballs should be just about 1 inch thick. Add meatballs to soup, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add peas or other fresh vegetable after 30 minutes, then add salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Preparation and cooking takes about an hour. Serves six to seven people

Source: TriVita VitaJournal January 2005 pg 13