Meatball Soup

I love soup! It's a super easy dish that lasts for several meals in my house, it cooks mostly unattended and there's just something comforting about a steaming bowl of soup on a dreary Northwest day.

I also have an abundance of tasty ground beef thanks to my rancher friend, Ava, who delivers the best grass-fed meat on the planet. So, the other day I decided to combine 2 of my favorite things into one simmering pot of goodness. I guess you would say this soup is similar to Italian Wedding Soup without the orzo, but whatever you call it, it was very tasty!

Meatball Soup (AKA Italian Wedding Soup)
32 oz of chicken stock (make your own or use good quality pre-made)
1 onion chopped
3-4 chopped carrots (mine were rainbow carrots)
Juice from 1 lemon (about 1/4 C)
1/4 C fresh chopped parsley (or 2 T dried parsley)
1 t garlic powder (or 2 t minced garlic)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bulk sausage (I used chicken sausage)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring chicken stock to a boil then add onion, carrots and cook for about 10 minutes or until carrots are starting to get tender. While carrots and onions are cooking, mix beef and sausage together with your hands then form into many 1 inch diameter balls. Add meatballs to the stock,  adding extra hot water as needed to keep everything covered. Add lemon juice, garlic powder and parsley. Simmer soup for about 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.