ITALIAN CHILI SOUP RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For meatball mixture, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and sautee chopped onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze pan with white wine. Cook for another 1 or 2 until the wine has evaporated and the onion garlic mixture has a golden brown color. Add the onion and garlic mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the ground meat, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg, parsley. Combine all ingredients well.
• Using a 1 inch melon baller with an ejector, shape meatballs in your hand and place them on the lined baking sheet. this mixture makes approximately 30 meatballs. Place in oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a large stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat and sautee carrots, onion, garlic and celery for about 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine then add bay leaf and bouquet of thyme and parsley and saute until fragrant, another 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and water to the stock pot and bring to a simmer.
• Remove meatballs from oven and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and let some of the oils drain off before placing them in the stock pot. Simmer the soup on low for 40 minutes. Add spinach and continue to stir the leaves in gently to the soup until wilted. Add small cooked pasta if desired, before serving.

Steps:

• In a large (4 quart) saucepan over medium-high heat, cook beef. Break beef up with a wooden spoon. Cook until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, beans, jalapenos and crushed red pepper flakes (to taste - use less for mild, more for hot). Stir. Simmer 5 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!
• I love to whip this up with ground beef I have precooked and also it is great with leftover burgers. Just break them up and add them in.
• Prepare ground beef ahead for easy lazy day dinners. Buy ground beef and precook it. Then portion it out and pop it in the freezer for easy pantry meals like this one. Replace the cooked beef 12 ounces cooked beef replaces 1 pound uncooked beef in a recipe.
• You can use a diced bell pepper sauteed in place of the chiles.