Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

I came up with this new spin on a familiar family favorite back in October while testing Halloween recipes. I had a jar of strained tomatoes in the pantry and some ground beef and half of a cooked spaghetti squash in the fridge, and somehow I arrived at Spaghetti and Meatball Soup after not wanting to make the usual spaghetti squash with bolognese. I kept the meatballs really simple with just some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder but used actual onion and garlic in the “sauce” for a bit of a fresher flavor. Even though the meatball ingredients are simple, if you have children or another helper handy, I highly recommend recruiting them as your meatball rollers since that step can be a bit tedious due to their small size!

1 hour

30 minutes

Difficulty

Show nutritional information

This is our estimate based on online research.
Calories:	183
Fat:	8 g
Carbohydrates:	2 g
Protein:	18 g
Calculated per serving.

by Nissa

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Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 lb 1 lb 1 lb Ground Beef, or ground meat of choice
0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp Salt
0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp Black Pepper
0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp Garlic Powder
0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp 0.25 tsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil, Organic, or animal fat of choice
1 whole 1 whole 1 whole Onion, small, diced
2 clove 2 clove 2 clove Garlic, minced
2 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp Basil, dried
1 tsp 1 tsp 1 tsp Oregano, dried
48 fl oz 48 fl oz 48 fl oz Beef Broth
28 oz 28 oz 28 oz Tomato, strained in jar, or 24 oz crushed in can
4 cup 4 cup 4 cup Baked Spaghetti Squash (click for recipe)
1 pinch 1 pinch 1 pinch Salt and Pepper, to taste

Process

Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results

In a large bowl, gently combine first five ingredients (for meatballs) with your hands.
Roll mixture into meatballs approximately 1/2 inch in circumference and set aside.
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil/fat over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic, basil and oregano and cook for 1-2 minutes, until garlic is softened but has no color.
Stir in tomatoes, stock and spaghetti squash and add salt and pepper to taste.
Gently add meatballs, but do not stir until they have "set up" and are no longer pink on the outside. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine). Meatballs should be cooked through.

Notes

The prep time includes your spaghetti squash baking time; while it bakes, you can mix up and form the meatballs and dice/mince the onion and garlic. If you have make-ahead days though, you can easily prepare some steps of this recipe ahead of time. I always have containers of cooked spaghetti squash in the freezer for quick use–I usually split each squash into 2-cup portions. For the meatballs, I form them, place them on a baking sheet and bake them in a 375 degree oven just until they are no longer pink inside (baking time will vary depending on the size of the meatballs). After taking them out of the oven, I let them cool to room temperature and then put them into storage containers and into the freezer until I need them. I normally just plop them frozen right into a recipe at the same point I would raw ones. This recipe ends up being a quick and easy meal for us!