Paleo Dinner- Mexican Meatball Soup

A dear friend gave me a new cookbook for my birthday.  It's Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso.  It's a great collection of paleo recipes.  Sometimes when you think of cutting certain foods out of your diet/meal planning you're left with a sense of "What's left for me to eat?"  It can be like hitting a wall in food preparation.  Following a paleo food plan isn't hard, just different.  It takes preparation, planning and regular shopping trips for fresh vegetables and meats.

My sweet friend and I at Disneyland last year on my birthday

This week we made a soup inspired by Sarah Fragoso's Albondigas Soup found on page 160 of her book.  I made a few changes based on what I thought our kids would like and what I had on hand.

Mexican Meatball Soup

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg

Meat and seasonings

Add egg to meat and seasonings and mix well.  I just use my hands to mix it up.  Set aside.

Soup:
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 carrots, chopped
4 cups cabbage, shredded
2 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes (not canned), diced
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons sea salt

In a large soup pot saute garlic and onion in olive oil.

Add carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, chicken broth, water, cumin, oregano, and sea salt.  Mix and bring to a boil.

Vegetables in soup pot. 



Soup mixture


Using your hands, form the meat into small meatballs and gently drop into the boiling soup.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, but be careful not to break up the meatballs.

Top with salsa, avocado, or sour cream (if you're not going paleo).  Add additional salt if necessary.

Mexican Meatball Soup

Enjoy!

One more pic of us in our Mickey's