Mini Meatball Soup

It is cold in WI and I felt the need to make soup.I adapted Rachel Ray's soup recipe...leaving out what I don't like.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef,
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta



In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

*****I made half into meatballs and baked them in the oven for later use.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. Adjust your seasonings.