Rigatoni and Meatball Soup

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Remember my friend, Kathy? The one who talked me into buying the Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan, and making the Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake? She seems to get me into a lot of trouble. The other day on Facebook, she tagged me in a recipe for rigatoni and meatball soup. Italian food is one of her favorite things, and she thought the soup looked wonderful. Naturally, I had to make it for her. I adapted it to suit my own tastes and favorite ingredients (like I do), and took some over to her. She proclaimed it “Fabulous! The best soup [she] has ever eaten.” I can’t argue with that. Take it from Kathy, this soup recipe is a good one!

Rigatoni and Meatball Soup

Adapted from The Cozy Apron

Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
½ c. Italian breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
1 T. dried minced onion
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
½ T. Melissa’s minced garlic
2 T. whole milk
2 T. olive oil, for sautéing

Soup Ingredients:

Olive oil (about 2 T.)
1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s shallots, chopped
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 T. tomato paste
¼ c. dry red wine
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
6 c. chicken stock
1 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley
8 oz. uncooked rigatoni, cooked 2 mins. less than package instructions
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese (¼ c. per serving)

Preparation:

Crumble ground chuck into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; gently mix together just until combined. Using a tablespoon, scoop up portions of the mixture, and roll between your palms to form meatballs.

Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once the pot is hot, add meatballs, and brown on all sides. When the meatballs are browned, transfer to a plate or bowl to hold; drizzle in a touch more olive oil (if needed), and add the shallots.

Sauté the shallots, scraping up the good bits from the meatballs as much as possible; add dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; stir for a couple minutes until things soften.

Add garlic and stir until it becomes aromatic (about 1 minute), add tomato paste, and stir to incorporate, about 30 seconds or so; add the red wine to deglaze, and after about 20 seconds, add tomatoes, chicken stock, and flat leaf parsley.

Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes; then, using a blender or a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Add the reserved meatballs, and bring to a gentle simmer; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes more until the meatballs are tender.

To serve, place ½ cup of the cooked rigatoni into a bowl, and ladle in some of the soup (about 1½ cups) along with 4 meatballs; top with ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese, and either enjoy immediately, or place under the broiler for a minute to melt and slightly brown the cheese.