I love soup! It’s delicious, you can load it with veggies, and it’s quick and easy to prepare. We’ve got some big-time meat eaters in our family, so I especially like making soup with meatballs in it to make a really meaty soup. Tonight is the first time I’ve made this soup, but it was really tasty.

Italian Meatball Veggie Soup

• 1 pound hot Italian sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons duck fat (or another paleo-friendly fat)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 cups homemade beef or chicken stock
• 1 can (14 ounces) organic chopped tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the Italian sausage, ground beef, one tablespoon of the garlic, the Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, mixing until well combined. Form into one-inch meatballs. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat the duck fat over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about five minutes.
3. Add the stock, the remaining one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, tomatoes, fennel, red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and carrots. Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Drop in the meatballs. Return the soup to a boil and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes (depending on size).
5. Stir in the baby spinach and basil. Remove the soup from the heat.

photo credit: Buffalo meatball soup via photopin (license)