Wowzers! This recipe was not only simple to put together but it was DELICIOUS too! My family ate it up!! The secret to making it quickly is using pre-made meatballs. My grocery store sells a great Italian-style turkey meatball in the refrigerator section, so I buy two packages (12-count each), but you could also use pre-made frozen meatballs too (or you can use homemade, of course!). Loads of flavor and easy to make!
This recipe serves four to six.
Shopping List
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
1 zucchini, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
about 24 pre-made Italian-style meatballs (turkey, chicken, pork or beef) either from the fridge or frozen
1 (32 oz) box of chicken stock
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
2 cups of dry lentils
grated Parmesan cheese to garnish
In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute your chopped onion and garlic with a pinch of both salt and pepper. Saute about 5 or 6 minutes until the onions are soft. Next, stir in your chopped zucchini, chopped carrots and diced tomatoes. Add in your meatballs followed by your stock, seasoning blend and lentils. Bring everything to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour uncovered, stirring occasionally.
After an hour, your lentils will be soft and your soup will be nice and thick. Ladle the soup (it will be very thick!) into bowls and garnish with a little grated Parm.
Enjoy!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
The recipe sounds simple enough, and delicious. I’ve never thought of putting meatballs into soups!
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Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Narci Dreffs says
This looks so simple to make and so yummy!
Emily says
any tips for making it more “soup-y?” haha! not sure how to phrase that one! I love the concept, but it looks a little thick for my kiddos :-). Would the lentils just soak up more broth or do you think that may work? Thanks for the idea!
Mix and Match Mama says
More stock!!
Sara says
Looks yummy, I love lentils! Are the meatballs pre cooked or do you use the fresh prepared (raw) meatballs from the meat dept?
Looking forward to making this soon 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
I bought the fresh, raw ones (and they cooked in the soup), but pre-cooked would totally work just fine!