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meatball and vegetable soup topped with cilantro
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4.33 from 64 votes

Hearty Veggie Packed Beef Meatball Soup

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: DIET, DINNER, soup + stew + chili
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 324kcal
Author: Dani Spies

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 2 pounds grass-fed gorund beef*
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cauliflower rice
  • 1/3 cup cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Soup Base

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 8 cups beef broth
  • 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 small cabbage, cut into chunks (8-10 cups)
  • 2 zucchini, cut into quarter moons

optional

  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 lime, juiced

Instructions

Meatballs

  • In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, cauliflower rice, cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregeno Add all meatball ingredients in a large bowl and combine well. 
    ground beef, eggs, cauliflower and spices in large glass bowl
  • Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into your palms, and roll into 1-2 inch meatballs ( I get about 40 meatballs). Set aside.

Soup

  • Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven, add in onion with a pinch of salt, and cook for 5-7 minutes or until softened and translucent.   Add in garlic and tomatoes, oregano, and another pinch of salt and pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
    veggies sauted in large pot
  • Add in broth, bring to a boil and reduce back down to a simmer.  Carefully adding meatballs and simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Add in carrots, cabbage and zucchini and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the veggies are tender.
  • Adjust seasonings and finish with fresh lime juice and a big handful of fresh chopped cilantro.
    meatball soup in bowl topped with cilantro and lime

Notes

When it comes to meat, grass feed beef is nutritionally superior to conventionally raised beef (plus it's way tastier - and better for the environment!). It has 6x the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids (the healthy fats), it's lower in Omega 6 fatty acids (which are the not-so-healthy fats), and has 3-5x the amount of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). It's also rich in vitamin A & E and has plenty of antioxidants.
The problem is that it can be tricky to find which is why I usually order my meat online (and have it delivered right to my house). Here are a few options if you'd like to consider that option for yourself:
Cotton Cattle Co. - A local New Jersey farm with superior quality in both taste and texture. They deliver to a bunch of states on the east coast (NJ, NY, PA, CT, DE, MA, MD, VT, DC) and are my number one choice if you live locally.
I recently met the farmer (Bryce - great guy!) and was able to snag a discount code for the #CDFam. You can save 10% off all of their products using code: C&D10 at check out.
Butcher Box - I've been using Butcher Box for years. They deliver nationally and offer monthly subscriptions that make it super easy (and convenient) to access grass-fed meats. They are currently offering free ground beef (for life) to any first-time customers.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1062mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4373IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 3mg