Meatball Soup

Sunday soup time! Sharing this past weekends soup to you today.  We made this last Sunday afternoon and once again the leftovers are great for lunches. This 30 minute soup will please your taste buds.  We found this recipe from the blogger Salt and Lavender and made a few tweaks.  

Ingredients 

1 pound meatballs, see note

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 (28 fluid ounce) can crushed tomatoes we used Wegmans fire roasted tomatoes 

4 cups beef broth

1/2 red bell pepper chopped small

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional

1.5 cups fusilli pasta

1/4 cup fresh basil torn/chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese (for serving) optional, to taste

Note - You can make your own meatballs with a recipe of your choice or frozen meatballs from your localstore.  We purchased mini meatballs from our local Italian market. And make sure you have extra broth on hand for leftovers.

Directions 

Add the olive oil and onions to a soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, red bell pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and meatballs. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.

Add the pasta once it's boiling.

Reduce the heat and simmer it (covered, with the lid slightly open) for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir it a few times to ensure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot. Note: Some brands of crushed tomatoes are thicker than others. Add more beef broth if the soup has become too thick (this soup is meant to be quite brothy).

Stir in the basil and season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve with parmesan grated over top if desired.