Mini Meatball Soup courtesy of Rachael Ray

Made for January 2009 Recipe Club

1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 medium onion chopped/minced
freshly ground pepper & salt, to taste
1 carrot chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 pinches nutmeg
3 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup ditalini noodles (I used mini bowties)
parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees or a nonstick skillet to medium/medium high heat.

Combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, onion, salt & pepper. Form 1/2 inch mini meatballs and place on nonstick cookie sheet or drop into preheated nonstick skillet and cover pan with loose foil. Bake or cook on the stove top for 12 minutes to brown balls. If you are using stove top method, give the pan a shake every now and then to rotate the balls and brown them evenly.

While meatballs are cooking, saute chopped carrots, celery, onion & garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot. Sprinkle veggies with nutmeg, salt & pepper. Cook 5 minutes. Add broth and turn heat up to high. When broth boils, drop in ditalini. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook 8-10 minutes until pasta is al dente. Drop in meatballs and parsley and serve with crusty bread and a salad.