Paleo Meatball Soup
This Paleo meatball soup is an adaptation of one of my favorite wintertime meals, Italian Wedding Soup made with a combination of ground beef and pork, onion, carrots, celery and spinach in a light chicken broth.
Servings 8
Calories 328kcal
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- 1 lb grassfed lean ground beef 90% lean or leaner
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ tablespoon sweet onion very finely minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley dried is fine1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the Soup:
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves trim off stems
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Get in there and work it with your hands...don't be scared to get messy.
- Roll balls slightly smaller than the size of a golf ball and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
- Sweat onions, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil in a large covered pot for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Deglaze your pot with chicken broth and add your bay leaf, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the meatballs to the pot (they will cook in the soup and remain nice and tender.
- Cook meatballs for about 15-20 minutes in the simmering soup then add the spinach and cook until just wilted.
Notes
- Don't overmix - You want to mix the meatball ingredients thoroughly without fussing with it too much.
- Small vs. large meatballs - I like to roll the meatballs reasonably large (a little smaller than golf ball size), but that is a personal preference. This recipe makes about 34 meatballs with a standard cookie scoop.
- Boil the meatballs - Don't hesitate to drop raw meatballs directly into your soup. Cooking them this way makes them super soft and tender.
- Add spinach at the end - Wait until the soup is finished to add the spinach leaves. The hot broth will gently wilt the leaves, making them soft and tender.
- Serving - I love enjoying this cozy soup with freshly grated parmesan, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a slice of crusty bread. YUM.
Nutrition
Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 1268mg | Potassium: 729mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3854IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3mg