Tomato Soup with Meatballs and Pasta

All this winter weather has had me craving warm me up food.

I saw this recipe in America’s Test Kitchen Light and Healthy Magazine I knew it would be a perfect dinner.

Not only is it warm and comforting but it was easy and it tastes amazing!

What you need,

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6 oz. ground chicken

3 tbsp. pesto (I bought mine, Classico)

3 tbsp. bread crumbs, I used Panko

Salt and Pepper

1 small onion, minced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 rib of celery, diced

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth

1 28oz. can diced tomatoes

4 oz. small pasta, about ¾ cup. I used mini alphabets but any small pasta would work.

In a bowl combine the ground chicken, pesto, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Carefully roll a teaspoon of the mixture at a time into a ball. Place on a plate until you have rolled all of the chicken. You should get about 35 meatballs.

Put them in the fridge until you are ready to use them later.

In a large Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Toss in the onion, carrots, celery and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies are softened, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Stir in the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered until the carrot is soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the carrots are fully cooked you want to puree the soup, I used an immersion blender and did it all right in the pot, and it worked great. You could also do it in batches in a blender if you want.

Bring the pureed soup to a simmer. Then stir in the meatballs and pasta and cook until the pasta is el dente and the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a little grated Parmesan cheese.

I made a simple grilled cheese to go with this amazing soup, because really nothing goes better with a big hot bowl of tomato soup.

Yum!

Jen

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen, Cooking Light Magazine