Gabe's Tortellini/Meatball Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
1 chopped onion
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1 large zucchini sliced
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 14oz. cans tomato sauce
1 box of chicken stock
1-2 T dried basil
1-2 T sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 bag of Totellini

In a large stock pot, over medium heat, brown beef and strain. Add onion, garlic, zucchini, carrots, celery and sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and chicken stock. Cover pot and bring up heat. Once boiling, add tortellini, reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.


This recipe is also great with meatballs.

Instead of browning beef in the beginning, add 1 lb of meatloaf mix (beef, veal and pork) in a medium bowl with ½ cups of grated Parmesan Cheese, ½ cup of Italian bread crumbs, 1 large beaten egg, and a couple of teaspoons of freshly chopped parsley. Mix these ingredients together and form into 1 ½ - 2 inch meatballs.

After you’ve added veggies, tomato sauce and chicken stock and brought to a boil, slide meatballs in and bring back to a boil. Stir in ½ spaghetti and simmer soup until meatballs are cooked and spaghetti is tender. Yumm-O!