Tuesday Night Meatball Soup

[Kitchen Witch]

Tuesday Night Meatball Soup


0 MEATBALLS
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup (loosely packed) finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 egg
2 Tbsp. grated Romano cheese
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
0 freshly ground black pepper
0 -------------------------------
3 cups Chicken Broth
3 large carrots, peeled and trimmed
2 celery ribs, trimmed and sliced
0 half a 3 pound frying chicken, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup alphabet pasta
1 cup diced fresh or canned Italian tomatoes
0 Grated Romano cheese


1 Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. Chill the mixture up to 4 hours.

2 Heat the broth, water, carrots and celery in a 5 quart pot over high heat to boiling. Add the chicken, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer, skimming the surface occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.

3 Remove the chicken from the broth to a plate. Cool to room temperature.

4 Form the meat mixture into 3/4 inch meatballs, rolling them smooth between your palms. Refrigerate unti needed, up to 3 hours.

5 Pick the meat from the chicken bones. Shred fine as much as you would like to add the soup. Reserve the remaining meat for another use. (See Note)

6 Add the pasta to the soup. Heat to a gently boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomatoes, meatballs and shredded chicken. Cook until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, passing cheese separately. Makes 8 servings

NOTE: My grandmother would any remaining shredded chicken with olive oil and chunks of potato and serves this dish with the soup. Prepare the soup through step 3 up to 3 days to a day in advance. Reheat the soup to simmering before continuing with step 4.