Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

This recipe is great when you have that pasta craving but don't want the calories and carbs associated with it. Kids will love this. While it may take a tad more time to prepare because of the veggie chopping, it is still relatively quick and cooks in a very short time. Of course if you have more time, you can prepare earlier or on the weekend ( just add spaghetti at the time you are actually ready to put dinner on the table). Okay- here goes

Spaghetti and Meatball "Stoup" (thicker than soup, thinner than stew) Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray and Ginger

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into a small dice
1 medium skinned onion, chopped
1 -2 small rib celery from the heart, chopped
1 small green pepper or 1/2 of a large one
1 small red pepper or 1/2 of a large one
3 cloves garlic, crushed and cut in half lengthwise
1 large can of crushed tomatoes or diced in thick puree
1 tbsp of tomato paste
3 cups lower in sodium chicken stock, available in a box on the soup aisle
1/2 to 3/4 can of lower in sodium beef broth
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper ( if you like a little spice)
1/2 -1 tsp paprika
1/2 or 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, a few handfuls
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1/3 to 1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half ( I used whole wheat pasta or whole grain, better for you and higher in fiber)
3-4 leaves of basil, cut up (or dried if no fresh available)
1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking (optional of course)

Instructions:

Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, saute garlic on low to medium heat for 5 minutes or so. Careful not to brown as it will get bitter.
Add carrots, onions, celery, peppers and saute 10-15 minutes until soft.
Add can of tomatoes, tomato paste sauce and stock, cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil. Turn to low heat and simmer about 1 hour. (the original recipe calls for only 10 min but I like to let it cook awhile- either 1 hour or longer or shorter as time allows)
While soup is simmering, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls. Brown on high or medium heat on all sides (do not cook through) Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove "stoup" from the stove. Serve with bread and cheese.
Tip for leftovers: The soup will thicken upon standing so when reheating, simply add more beef or chicken stock to thin.

Now for the exercise tip if the day:

In prior posts, I've given arm (triceps) and hamstring exercises. Today we will do a simple waist exercise. Take those 5 or 10 lb barbells, 1 in each hand and stand straight with legs shoulder width apart, knees relaxed. Slowly bend sideways, do not lean forward. Raise to upright position and bend to the opposite side. Repeat to other side until completed 15 on each side or 30 altogether. Increase reps and sets as endurance increases. THis a an exercise that is great for those love handles. You may want to get your significant other involved. This is a great exercise while watching the evening news and waiting for "stoup" to finish simmering.