Savory Meatball Soup

Oh my goodness gracious! This was a perfect cold weather day dinner. I chose this recipe from my teammate Baby Kato in the March 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap on recipezaar.com. She hails from Ontario, Canada. Everyone really enjoyed this soup. It's a keeper at my house! I served this with homemade french bread. Perfect in every way! Don't let the long list of ingredients make you run the other way.

Savory Meatball Soup
2 TBSP butter or margarine
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot OR small onion finely chopped
1 zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cups beef broth
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp worchestershire sauce
28 oz diced tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme (I just threw in some dried thyme)
1 tsp fresh oregano (I used dried)
1/2 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
24 small meatballs, frozen (you can also use homemade)
3 large red potatoes, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Fry onion, garlic and shallots in butter or margarine for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and bell pepper. Fry an additional 5 minutes.
Pour into large crockpot. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Cook on low all day. Serve with parmesan cheese garnish and your favorite crusty bread.

Swedish Meatballs

I've only had Swedish Meatballs a few times in my life. I have enjoyed them the times that I ate them. So I was excited to try this recipe from Mom2Rose from recipezaar for the October 2009 recipe swap. She calls them Grandma Katie's Swedish Meatballs. I downsized for a family of 6. Her original recipe feeds something like 25 or more people.

Swedish Meatballs

a little over a pound of ground beef

8 oz ground pork

**6 strips bacon, crispy and finely crumbled
1 cup finely diced celery

1 large onion, finely diced

1/2 cup or so of breadcrumbs

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1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

16 oz beef broth

I cooked my bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until done. I drained most of the bacon fat leaving just a little. Save the pan with drippings and set aside.

Combine all meatball ingredients from the ground beef to the breadcrumbs in a mixer. Make sure it is well combined. Make golf ball size meatballs.

Using extra breadcrumbs - coat each meatball and place on reserved cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile - combine soups and broth mixing well to remove any clumps. Add just a little to a crockpot. Add cooked meatballs. Pour remaining sauce over meatballs. Leave in the crockpot for just a couple hours or so.

We served this over rice. A very yummy comfort meal.