Italian Meatball Soup

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) and Zola To GO! recipe. So today you can “Enjoy a Bowl-a-Zola.”

Servings: This makes 6 servings. You can freeze extras. It also reheats well at the office or for another day.

Each serving is 1-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs of ground sirloin
  • 1 Tbl + 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp of grated sea salt
  • 1-1/2 cups of chopped celery
  • 1-1/2 cups of chopped red onion
  • 1 cup of organic vegetable broth
  • 2 cups of organic beef broth
  • 1 20 oz can of crushed organic tomatoes (no sugar)
  • 1 Tbl minced garlic
  • ½ tsp of Truvia (stevia) (optional)
  • 1 cup of water
  • ¼ tsp of cracked pepper flakes (if you like your Italian food to have some zip)
  • 2 – 4 handfuls of spinach, washed and chopped or baby spinach leaves will work too. The amount of spinach you add it up to you. These are suggested amounts.

Instructions:

Put your sirloin in a large bowl. Add the seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix up really well. Using a small spoon, grab bits of sirloin and round them, in your hand into baby meatballs. They will be one inch in diameter or less. Keeping them small makes them cook faster and makes you feel like you got to eat more.

Lightly spray a large sauté pan (or two medium ones) with a bit of olive oil spray. Saute the meatballs on medium high until they brown on one side. Then begin rolling them around on medium high until they all get browned on most of the outside edges. Keep browning until there is no pink left in the meatball middles.

While the meatballs are cooking….

You can pull out a soup pot. Add a bit more olive oil spray and then add your celery and onion. Saute until loose on medium. Add the garlic and stir. Then add the veggie broth and the beef broth as well as the crushed tomatoes. Stir and begin to heat on medium high. You want to bring it up to a low boil. Add the stevia and water as well as the optional cracked pepper flakes. When it begins to warm add the meatballs from your other pan. Heat the whole pot of soup until it just comes back up to a boil. Then add your chopped spinach. Stir just until the spinach wilts. You are ready to serve.

A serving of Italian meatball soup on Plan Z is 1-1/2 cups.

Enjoy!

Cheers,