Meatballs
1 pound Florida lean ground beef
1 cup Florida yellow squash, grated fine
1 cup Florida zucchini, grated fine
1 cup Florida mushroom, chopped fine
1 cup Florida carrot, shredded fine
1 cup panko
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning (your favorite)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Soup
1 head Florida curly endive, rinsed and chopped
1 cup Florida celery, rinsed and diced small
2 cups Florida carrots, peeled and diced small
1 can red kidney beans, drained
10 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), chopped fine
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish, grated
Meatballs
In a large mixing bowl, combine egg, milk, seasoning blend, and panko. Stir until well combined. Let mixture sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir mixture again. Add the ground beef and vegetables to the bread crumb mixture. Continue to mix the beef with all the ingredients, until everything is uniformly incorporated. Roll the meatball mixture into small bite sized ball and keep refrigerated until use.
Soup
Preheat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the preheated pot. Carefully add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook ingredients for 5 to 7 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and fresh chopped herbs and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the broth to the cooking ingredients in the pot. Bring ingredients to a light boil and turn the heat down to a slow boil. Add the raw bite sized meatballs to the simmering soup. And let cook for another 10 minutes. Add the chopped curly Florida endive. Tase soup and adjust seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve soup hot garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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