This is my healthy take on a hispanic classic, abondagas soup! You can turn up the nutritional value by loading it up with vegetables and adding in some magical bone broth to aid in healing increased immune system protection. If you are familiar with this traditional soup, the meatballs also have a touch of rice. The rice give it just enough carbohydrates to keep it filling while still allowing you to decrease your normal daily starch intake. This vegetable meatball soup is a low carb recipe for the books, and can be made all year long!
You can choose to precook rice or use precooked frozen rice such as the kind you can buy in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s. I never recommend instant rice. You will need one cup per pound of ground beef.
*Note: while the meatballs are made of beef, the traditional stock for this recipe is actually chicken broth! I prefer to use chicken bone broth as mentioned above.
Ingrediants Vegetable Meatball Soup
8 cups of bone broth – water to thin the broth if needed
1 cup of chopped onions
1 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup of chopped potatoes (optional)
1 package of peas, carrots, corn, green beans
2 cups of rice
2 lbs of beef
Sea Salt
1/2 package of gluten free beef and herb gravy mix (optional)
- I use the gravy mix in the meatballs for extra flavor. If you would like to skip this step you can use traditional meatball seasonings such as,
Meatball seasonings if you opt not to use a gravy packet
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- A dash of cayenne (optional)
Directions for Vegetable Meatball Soup
1.) In a large pot, over medium high heat, bring the broth and any additional water to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add in your vegetables and reduce the heat to medium.
2.) Mix the cooked rice, 2 lbs of grass fed ground beef, 1/2 a gravy packet or meatball seasons in a large bowl. Combine these well using your hands. Form 1 – 1 and 1/2 inch size meatballs and place them on a plate.
3.) Next add all the meatballs to the broth with vegetables. Then, reduce the heat once more to medium low. Allow the meatballs to boil in the broth for 15 – 20 minutes. Check the meatballs at the 15 minute mark to see if they are cooked all the way through.
4.) Once they are done, turn the stove off and remove from heat.
5.) Serve while warm and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Save RecipeIngredients
- 8 - 10 cups of bone broth - water to thin the broth if needed
- 1 cup of chopped onions
- 1 cup of chopped celery
- 1 cup of chopped carrots
- 1 cup of chopped potatoes (optional)
- 1 package of peas, carrots, corn,
- 2 cups of rice
- 2 lbs of grass fed beef
- 1/2 package of gluten free beef and herb gravy mix (optional)
- I use the gravy mix in the meatballs for extra flavor. If you would like to skip this step you can use traditional meatball seasonings such as,
- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- A dash of cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Directions for Vegetable Meatball Soup
- 1.) In a large pot, over medium high heat, bring the broth and any additional water to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, add in your vegetables and reduce the heat to medium.
- 2.) Mix the cooked rice, 2 lbs of grass fed ground beef, 1/2 a gravy packet or meatball seasons in a large bowl. Combine these well using your hands. Form 1 - 1 and 1/2 inch size meatballs and place them on a plate.
- 3.) Next add all the meatballs to the broth with vegetables. Then, reduce the heat once more to medium low. Allow the meatballs to boil in the broth for 15 - 20 minutes. Check the meatballs at the 15 minute mark to see if they are cooked all the way through.
- 4.) Once they are done, turn the stove off and remove from heat.
- 5.) Serve while warm and garnish with chopped cilantro (optional).
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