Barley and Meatball Soup

Similar to Italian wedding soup, with a twist! After trying Italian wedding soup at Spaghetti Warehouse for the first time, I fell in love with it! I had to make my own healthy version of it, so I decided to use barley instead of egg noodles and kale instead of spinach. The result is a delicious soup that’s also super healthy!

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chicken flavor
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil

For the soup:

• 7 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 4 oz baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 cup barley
• 10 cups chicken stock or water
• 1 tbsp chicken base
• 1 bunch kale, washed and chopped

Directions:

1. In a bowl, add all the ingredients for the meatballs.
2. Mix well until combined.
3. Roll into balls the size of a marble, about half an inch in diameter. Repeat this process until you finish the meat mixture. Set aside.

To make the soup:

1. In a heated pot, add olive oil and saute garlic and onion until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the chopped celery and carrots. Saute for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, parsley, basil, and barley. Stir.
4. Add the chicken stock and chicken base.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour or until the barley is tender.
6. Add the meatballs and simmer for another hour.
7. Add the kale and cook for a few minutes.
8. To serve, drizzle some olive oil and grated parmesan cheese on top.
9. Buon appetito!

Note:

If you want to make the traditional Italian wedding soup, simply replace the barley with egg noodles and the kale with spinach.

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