Tiny meatballs cooked in broth is one of those meals that is so very comforting you can taste the love. My grandmother made it for my grandfather and my mother, neither of whom were big eaters. She made her own nutritious bone broth and had the butcher mince a lean steak.
Beef mince is composed of 100% beef, with no additional fillers, as is often the case for store bought ground beef. Brisket, sirloin, and chuck are the most common cuts to mince.
This is a delicious soup and a great choice during cold and flu season. Sometimes, I’ll add baby spinach to up the nutrition factor, as it is an extremely nutrient-rich vegetable. It packs high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
The secret of this soup is cooking the flavorful meatballs in the broth and allowing them to slowly transform the broth into deliciousness.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces good quality minced beef or ground beef
- 1 Cup Parmigiano cheese, finely grated, plus extra for grating on top
- 1 1/3 Cup fresh breadcrumbs, pulsed in a food processor to fine crumbs
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 Cup Italian parsley, finely chopped/extra sprigs for garnish
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, few grinds of black pepper
- 7-8 cups beef broth
- 1 1/3 cups ditalini dried pasta
- Into a large bowl, add the meat, cheese and breadcrumbs (I used a ciabatta roll, torn into pieces, then pulsed) mix together with fork
- Mix in the egg, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and salt and pepper. At this point, I always use my hands to ensure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together. Roll a small amount of the meat mixture in the palms of your hands (about the size of a cherry tomato) into tiny meatballs and set aside. This takes patience but is so worth it!
- Using a large saucepan, pour in 7 cups (see note) of broth, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Carefully, drop in the meatballs, cook over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.
- Bring to a low boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente (8-10 minutes).
- To serve, ladle into shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley and a generous amount of Parmigiano cheese. Mangia Bene!
*Note – If you have leftovers, the addition 1 cup of broth may be added, as the pasta will have absorbed some of the broth as it was stored in the refrigerator.
