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Meatball Tortellini Stew

Published by Today's Parent on 9/1/2004
If you have been clever enough to stash a container of meatballs in the fridge or freezer, this fully-loaded stew can be assembled and cooked in about half an hour. Otherwise, plan an extra half hour or so to roll and brown the meatballs.
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup (125 mL) bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup (50 mL) onion, very finely chopped
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
  • ½ tsp (2 mL) pepper
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cups (1 L) beef broth (preferably sodium-reduced)
  • 2 cups (500 mL) canned diced tomatoes(with juice)
  • 19 oz (540 mL) can, kidney or garbanzo beans, with liquid
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano, crumbled
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 12 oz (350 g) fresh cheese tortellini (not the dried kind)
  • 10 oz (284 g) pkg fresh spinach, rinsed and coarsely chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • meatballs

Directions

  1. Meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper. Squish together with a fork or (clean) bare hands until well mixed (no tasting until it’s cooked, kids!). Form into 1 in. (2 cm) meatballs, rolling them between your hands so they’re nice and round. Place meatballs in one layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, turning them over halfway through baking. Remove from cookie sheet and use, immediately, in your favourite recipe, or pack into a container and refrigerate or freeze to use at another time.
  2. The stew: In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the onion in the oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened – about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat. Dump in the browned meatballs, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Throw in the tortellini and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Finally, add all the spinach, pushing it down into the pot and cook just until the spinach has wilted into the stew – about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling at the table.

Sorry, there is no nutrition information available for this recipe.

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