Super simple and satisfying soup



I tried a new soup recipe yesterday and boy was it delicious and satisfying.

The recipe is the kind that is so flexible.  Tweak as you go to your liking. 
If you need it to be vegetarian, omit the meatballs,.  If you need it to be gluten free, omit the pasta.
If you made this during the summer, you'd likely have most all the ingredients fresh from  your garden. 
AND...it is made in the crock pot, freeing up your afternoon.
What's not to love about this soup?

The original recipe is below. {and what I did is below that.}

photo credit: Taste of Home

Veggie Meatball Soup

{from an old Taste of Home booklet sold at the check out stand.}

 
25 frozen cooked Italian meatballs
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 c. beef broth
2 c. shredded cabbage
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained.
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 c. fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
1 c. water
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. uncooked elbow macaroni

In a 5 Qt. slow cooker, combine all, but the pasta.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.  Stir in pasta and cook another 30 minutes. 

Serves 6

~ * ~ * ~ *

I had some ground turkey so I made my own meatballs using a basic recipe and baked them at 400 for 20 minutes.}

I didn't add the extra cup of water, because I didn't add the pasta.

For our large family I basically doubled the recipe, but kept the tomatoes and carrots at their original quantity.

Give it a try; I really think you'll like it.