Spaghetti & Meatball Soup.

As readers of my regular blog know, I stumbled upon some wonderful cookbook bargains last week. One of them is "House Specials - Soups, Salads, Et Cetera" by Nancy Coale Zippe. She also has two other "House Specials" books, one being "Main Dishes" and the other "Baked Goods & Sweet Treats." Nancy has been a freelance food columnist in Wilmington, Delaware since 1975. These three books are a compendium of the best of her years writing two food columns, plus some of her own treasured recipes.

This is one of the amazing soups in this book. We are making it today, and will report back with a critique. However, there is a note from the author that this soup was the favorite in her household for years. That is saying quite a bit!

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

6 cups beef broth
1 28 oz. can Italian style tomatoes with juice, cut up
1 1/4 cups chopped celery, with leaves
3/4 cups chopped carrot
1 tsp. oregano
1 to 1.5 cups thin spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
Parmesan cheese
(Update 2/2/2016: add one diced onion, 2 diced sweet potatoes, and use 1 quart beef broth, 1 quart vegetable broth.)

Meatballs:

2 slices stale bread
1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 egg
1 fresh clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP chopped parsley

In a large pot, combine the broth, tomatoes, vegetables, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

To make the meatballs, soak the bread in water and squeeze out the excess. Add in small bits to all of the meatball ingredients. Mix well. Roll into tiny balls. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (in a toaster oven if you have one) on a foil-lined tray to cook out the fat.

Return to the soup pot while meatballs are baking. Break in the pasta and simmer 10-12 minutes. When the pasta is almost done, spoon in the meatballs with a slotted spoon. Heat through another 5 minutes. Top each serving with a shake of Parmesan if desired.

Note:
If you want to make the soup ahead (or expect leftovers), cook the pasta separately and add just before serving. As the soup sits, the spaghetti will continue to soak up liquid and become mushy.

Notes from MarLo:

1. Do not expect leftovers. This soup is so good you will be tempted to turn the pot up and drink it.
2. We used matchstick carrots - it eliminated the need to chop carrots, and they were a nice complement to the spaghetti pieces.
3. We omitted the parsley. We did not have any on hand.
4. We love the Kitchen Basics brand of broths. Every one we've tried is delicious.
5. We used two tablespoons of plain breadcrumbs instead of going through all the steps listed for the stale bread. 
6. Mar was hesitant about cooking the meatballs in the toaster oven, but that is what we did and it worked so well I'll do all meatballs that way in the future!