MEATBALLS  Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound Simply Nature Organic 100% Grass-fed Ground Beef
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated onions
½ cup Chef’s Cupboard Italian Breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Happy Harvest Tomato Paste
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper

Soup:

2 tablespoons Simply Nature Olive Oil
¾ cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Happy Harvest Tomato Paste
1 ½ jars (36 ounces total) Priano Tomato Basil Sauce
½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds, optional
Pinch – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (whatever you can handle!)
1 quart Simply Nature Organic Vegetable Broth or Simply Nature Organic Chicken Broth
8 ounces of Priano Conchiglie (shell shaped) pasta
Specially Selected Sourdough Round Loaf, for serving

Instructions

MEATBALLS: In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together all the meatball ingredients except the ground beef. When the ingredients are combined, add the ground beef and mix. Just be sure you don’t overwork the meat. Roll into 30-32 meatballs using a tablespoon to measure out the mixture. Set the rolled meatballs aside on a plate or baking sheet.

COOK THE MEATBALLS: In a 4 ½ quart dutch oven (or larger) heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When warm, add roughly half the meatballs (or whatever fits in a single layer with space between the meatballs.)

Cook the meatballs, flipping as needed to brown all sides, about 6 minutes. Don’t worry if they haven’t cooked all the way through, we will finished cooking them in the soup.

If you need to do this in two batches, add a splash of oil in between if it needs it. Set meatballs aside for now. If you have grease at the bottom of your pan, drain