Caroline's Saucy Kitchen

Great soup to freeze as well.

Ingredients for the meatballs:

• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pound very lean ground beef
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried
• 3 tablespoons Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 egg slightly beaten

Ingredients for the soup:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to saute the onion
• 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 tablespoon dried
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 8-10 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 bag of medium-sized egg noodles

Preparation Method:

1. Firstly, mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together in a bowl until everything is blended. Leave the mixture to the side.
2. In a saucepan, saute onion in oil and butter until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, and pepper, and mix well for about 1 minute.
3. Add tomato paste and cook another minute.
4. Pour in 8 cups of chicken broth, making sure to mix everything together well and bring to a gentle boil.
5. Take the bowl over by the saucepan. Grab a small amount of the meat mixture. Roll the mixture into a small ball, around the size of a cherry tomato. Then drop it gently into the hot soup. Continue doing this until all the mixture is finished.
6. Gently stir everything together and reduce the heat to low. Cover the saucepan and cook over low heat for another 1-2 hours (the longer the better).
7. Cook the egg noodles as per the package instructions.
8. Taste the soup and adjust any seasoning if needed – more salt, pepper, etc.
9. Place a handful of the cooked noodles into a soup dish. Top it up with the meatball soup. Enjoy with some hot, crusty bread!
10. You can also toss a couple of large handfuls of the uncooked noodles into the soup itself. This will thicken the soup as they cook. You need to add more broth to make it soupier!