Meatball Minestrone Stoup

Meatball Minestrone Stoup

Yes, a "Stoup".   It's not a stew.. not a soup.   Stoup.

This is another favorite in our house.   Plus, it makes such a big batch that I of course portion, freeze and seal portions with my Food Saver.    Pop a bag in the microwave and in 5 minutes you have a great, home-made meal!

I make this dish in the Crock Pot..  LOVE Crock-pot meals!

6 cups hot water
2 cans Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg of fozen mixed vegetables
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 TB dried minced onion
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 pkg fully frozen Homestyle meatballs  (or 16oz of home-made)
1 can stewed tomatos
Pasta of your choice


Pasta: I use Rigatoni.   The original recipe calls for Spaghetti noodles but since I modified this for the crock-pot, Rigatoni holds up a lot better and wont turn to sloppy mush like the thin noodles will.

anyways..

Combine the 6 cups of hot water and the beef bouillon cubes in the crock pot.  Stir til cubes are disolved.   

Add all the other ingeredients (except pasta) to crock pot, turn to High and let cook.    Stir after 4 hours, continue to cook.    If you're not home to stir, it's okay.   Just stir well before you add the pasta.

If you're using a hardy pasta like mine it'll take about 20 min to cook through.   Make sure the pasta is submerged and stir so they ALL get in the party.  :)

Voila!   Dinner is ready!

Stock picture of course..

And to freeze, I portion it out into Tupperwear and freeze FIRST then vacuum seal.      Sometimes, I seal soups when theyre still hot but when it's late, this is the easiest way to go.

WOW.. this picture is AWFUL!   lol  But the food is so good.   And, if you have a Vacuum Sealer like me, You've got a meal handy for up to a year.   A YEAR!      this would be GREAT for a sick friend to family member or a quick meal on the go!