That’s it! I’m done! No more turkey for a year! After a full week of turkey salad sandwiches and turkey alfredo, it’s time for something beefy! I love this soup! It’s great comfort food! I call it Mexican Meatball Soup, so if anyone asks what I’m cooking for dinner, they’ve got an idea of what’s in it. Look on the internet and you’ll find many versions of this recipe, but like my other dishes, this one is as simple as you can get!  I like to serve this with cheese quesadillas to scoop up the chunks of tomato!

For the meatballs:

• 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp minced onion
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• salt
• pepper

For the soup:

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cilantro
• salt
• pepper
• 64 oz beef broth
• 16 oz medium Picante sauce
• 15 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 3/4 cup white uncooked rice

To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and cook 10 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, cilantro, salt and pepper, beef broth, tomatoes, and Picante sauce. Bring to just a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer while making meatballs.

To make the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients listed above in a large mixing bowl, and mix well. Shape into bite size meatballs, about a 1/2 inch in diameter. The easiest way to do this is by rolling them out into a log then cut that into even pieces, then roll up. Drop meatballs into simmering broth and stir. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes. Stir in rice, then continue cooking for 25 more minutes, stirring occasionally, so rice doesn’t stick. Serve with quesadillas! Enjoy!