Albondigas Soup

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (extra lean)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

½ onion (chopped)

½ cup rice (long grain, uncooked (I used Basmati))

1 egg (beaten)

¼ cup mint (fresh, chopped)

¼ cup parsley (fresh, chopped)

¼ cup oregano (fresh, chopped or about 1 tbsp dry oregano)

1 teaspoon cumin (ground)

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ large onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1 large carrot (chopped to your liking)

2 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes)

14 ½ ounce diced tomatoes (1 can)

3 cups beef broth (low sodium)

3 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

⠛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons cilantro (fresh, chopped)

2 tablespoons parsley (fresh, chopped)

Directions

In a bowl add all the meatball ingredients together and mix well. Shape into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 25 to 30 meatballs, depending on how big you make them. Place meatballs in fridge until ready to add to soup.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom 5 qt pot to medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add chopped carrots and potatoes to pot and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until you get a nice caramelization going.

Add the tomatoes, broth, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil and turn down heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add meatballs to pot one at a time, slowly. Using a wooden spoon slowly stir. Cover and let cook over low to medium heat for another 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. Add lemon juice and herbs and taste and adjust for seasoning.

Nutrition

• Calories: 332 kcal
• Total Fat: 13 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
• Trans Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 76 mg
• Sodium: 598 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 31 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 22 g