Mini Meatball And Pasta Marinara Soup Recipes

MEATBALLS WITH MARINARA

Steps:

• For the marinara sauce: Coat a large saucepot with olive oil and add the pancetta. Bring the pot to a medium-high heat and cook the pancetta for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with olive oil. Cook the onions for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pulse to combine the tomatoes in a food processor. Add the tomatoes to the pot and rinse out 1 of the empty tomato cans with water and add that water to the pot (about 2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and TASTE IT!!!! Tomatoes take a lot of salt. Season in baby steps and taste every step of the way. Cook the sauce for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently.
• Use the sauce right away on pasta or for any other tomato sauce need. This sauce can also be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for a few days and freezes really well.
• For the meatballs: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil, add the onions and bring to a medium-high heat. Season the onions generously with salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. The onions should be very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool.
• In a large bowl combine the meats, eggs, Parmigiano, parsley and breadcrumbs. It works well to squish the mixture with your hands. Add the onion mixture and season generously with salt and squish some more. Add 1/2 cup water and do 1 final really good squish. The mixture should be quite wet. Test the seasoning of the mix by making a mini hamburger size patty and cooking it. The mixture should taste really good! If it doesn't it is probably missing salt. Add more. Add more anyway.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• Shape the meat into desired size. Some people like 'em big and some people like 'em small. I prefer meatballs slightly larger than a golf ball. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for about 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked all the way through. If using right away, add them to your big pot of marinara sauce. If not using right away, they can be frozen for later use. Serve with pasta and sauce or just eat them straight out of the pot! Top with fresh ricotta cheese, garnish with chopped pickles and chives and serve with grilled garlic bread. YUM!

MINI MEATBALL AND PASTA MARINARA SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions, carrots, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 6 minutes.
• Add marinara and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add sausage meatballs and pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until pasta is al dente, 9 to 12 minutes. Stir in spinach to wilt and then remove from heat.
• Serve with Parmesan.

MINI MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.
• Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread or grilled 4 cheese sandwiches.
• In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.
• Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

MINI MEATBALL SOUP WITH BROCCOLI AND ORECCHIETTE

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.
• In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the carrots, broccoli stems and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally to keep the garlic from scorching, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as it simmers.
• Once the broth begins to simmer, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and divide it among bowls.
• While the pasta cooks and the broth simmers, use a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop little sausage meatballs and plop them into the broth. (You can also pinch 1/2-inch pieces of the sausage and roll them between your hands.) Return to a boil, add the broccoli florets, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring gently and occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through and the florets are bright green, 5 to 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the soup over the orecchiette. Finish with Parmesan.

MINI MEATBALL HEROES

Steps:

• To make the meatballs: Whisk the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the beef, veal, and pork. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
• Heat the oil in heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in 2 to 3 batches, add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Add the Marinara Sauce. Simmer over medium-low until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (The meatball mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)
• To make the sandwiches: Spoon the hot meatballs with some sauce over the bottoms of the rolls. Place 1/2 slice provolone on top of meatballs and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Spread more sauce over the roll tops, then fold the tops of the rolls over and serve.
• In a large casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves, and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste. (The sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before using.)

MINI MEATBALL SUBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom of a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Flatten each roll into a 6-inch round. Onto each flattened roll, add a half slice of provolone, 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce, a meatball and, finally, a slice of the deli peppers.
• Fold opposite sides of each roll up and over the meatball, pinching them together. Continue folding and pinching the sides together until the meatball and filling are completely encased in the dough. Place seam-side down onto the prepared sheet pan.
• Mix together the olive oil, Parmesan and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush the top of each roll with the mixture. Bake until golden and crisp, 16 to 18 minutes. Serve with warm marinara on the side.

SPAGHETTI AND CHICKEN MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, half the Parmesan, half the garlic, the egg and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir with your hands until combined. Using wet or oiled hands, roll into 12 to 14 meatballs (about 1 1/2 inches in diameter each). Meatballs will be very soft, but if they don't hold their shape, refrigerate until Step 3.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil, tomato paste, remaining garlic and the red-pepper flakes (if using) over medium. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is sizzling and fragrant and the oil is stained red, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, marinara sauce and 2 cups of water. Keep on medium heat and bring to a simmer.
• Gently add the meatballs to the broth and stir to combine. Add the spaghetti. Simmer over medium, stirring gently and often, until the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. (Pasta will finish cooking from the heat of the soup). Turn off the heat, stir in the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and season to taste with salt and red-pepper flakes, if using. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan and red-pepper flakes, if desired.