Italian meatball tortellini soup

The weather is getting colder and for me this means soup weather! My husband isn't a big fan of soups, especially for dinner, but he liked this one because of the meatballs! 

You will need:

1/2 lb ground beef

4 cloves of garlic, diced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes with juices

1 1/2 boxes of chicken broth, low sodium

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 onion, diced

Olive oil 

1/2 bag of frozen cheese tortellini 

Fresh basil 

2 cans of tomato paste 

Salt and pepper 

For the meatballs:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Mix together the beef, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, dash of salt and pepper, garlic, parsley, drizzle of olive oil. 

Roll in mini size meat balls. Bake about 4 minutes, turn bake for another 4 minutes. 

In a sauce pan, on medium heat, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, carrots and celery until softened. 

Add salt and pepper. 

Add the chicken broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Add the meatballs! 

Keep on low flame until the soup forms a low boil. Then add half the bag of the tortellini. Once the pasta is cooked, add seasoning to taste, and a few chopped basil leaves. 

Serve with crusty Italian bread for dipping and enjoy! 

***you can definitely just add the meatballs to the soup instead of baking them.