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Red Pepper + Tomato Meatball Soup

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword meatballs, red pepper soup, soup

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces turkey ground
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 5-6 cloves garlic minced
  • 3-4 tablespoons onion chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh herbs chopped
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese powdered
  • salt and pepper

soup:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 16 ounces roasted red peppers drained (if from jar)
  • 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes do not drain
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • ¼ cup onion chopped
  • 5-6 cloves garlic chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper
  • fresh basil and more Parmesan for serving

Instructions

  • First, make the meatballs. If your meat is frozen, be sure to thoroughly and safely thaw it first. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the almond flour and milk. In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, garlic, onion, herbs, and Parmesan cheese, stir until just combined.
    To this large bowl, add the ground meat as well as the almond flour mixture (which by now should be quite soggy). Mix well. I actually think this is best and mostly quickly done by using your (clean) hands to mix everything together. Season well with salt and pepper.
  • Form the meatballs. You want meatballs that roughly fit in your palm, but large enough that you couldn’t quite close your hand completely around them. Think just a bit bigger than cookies, around 3 tablespoons each. Set the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Bake at 400°F for 18-22 minutes. The meatballs should be at or higher than 165°F if you use an instant read thermometer (which I really like using when I cook meat as it takes away the guessing of if it’s been cooked enough to safely eat). Remove from the oven once done and allow to rest for at least 5-8 minutes.
    They will appear super juicy just out of the oven and some of these juices (fat) will solidify a bit more as they rest. Toward the end of the baking time (before resting), you can start the soup. Or you can store the meatballs after resting if using later.
  • In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a minute or two until it begins to soften. Then add the garlic and season well with salt and pepper, and also the cayenne. Then add the tomatoes and red peppers along with one cup of stock.
    Reduce the heat to low, add the lid and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Then use either an immersion blender or you can do this in batches in a blender, blending everything well. Stir in the remaining cup of stock and also add your cooked meatballs. Once everything is nice and hot, serve with some chopped basil and sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese!

Notes

Notes: For the herbs in the meatballs, you can use any combination of fresh herbs you like, or whatever you might have on hand. I like cilantro, parsley, thyme, and rosemary best. I would probably avoid mint but ... never tried it so I guess I shouldn't knock it. Just doesn't sound that appetizing to me. Also you can replace the 3/4 cup almond flour with 1/2 cup bread crumbs if you're not concerned about carbs. This is just how I make meatballs when I'm watching my carbs (like doing Keto), but it's not necessary if that doesn't matter to you.