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Welcome to Simple Fare, Fairly Simple. This is a place for me to post recipes of all kinds...along with other miscellaneous fodder from my so-called life here in the south. Who knows what you will find here. Could be anything from my husband...known as IT Guy...to my kids and beautiful grandbabies that are growing up way too fast right before my eyes. But...mostly this will be a place for food. I hope you'll see something you like and if you decide to try something from the list...leave me a comment and let me know!



Monday, December 7, 2015

Swedish Meatball Soup

Swedish meatballs are a favorite in the SFFS house and have been since my kids were little. So I knew this would translate well into a soup for my family. This is super good and pretty simple. If you can make meatballs, you can make this soup. It may look like some effort, but I promise you it's not. This is easy to cut in half if you want but you can make the whole thing and freeze part of it for later. If I was doing that, though...I'd leave out the noodles in the half I was going to freeze and add those later. Serve this with a crunchy loaf of buttered French bread and you've made your family happy, happy!

Swedish Meatball Soup



For the meatballs

2 pounds ground beef
½ cup water
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons butter
Combine ground beef water, bread crumbs, egg, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl and stir. Mix well with your hands but don’t overdo it. Shape meat into about 40 meatballs.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter. Add meatballs and cook until done. (You may have to work in batches.)

Remove meatballs from the skillet to a plate.


For the soup

5 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
1/2 cup flour
2 32-ounce containers beef broth
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

In the same large dutch oven you cooked the meatballs in, melt butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook another 3 minutes.

Stir in the beef broth. Combine the heavy cream with the cornstarch and add that to the broth.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, parsley, red pepper flakes, paprika and salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium then add the meatballs and cook about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta and heat through.

Here we go! Let's make some soup! 
Here we go! Let's make some soup!

Combine ground beef water, bread crumbs, egg, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl and stir. Mix well with your hands but don’t overdo it. 

Combine ground beef water, bread 
crumbs, egg, salt and nutmeg in a 
medium bowl and stir. Mix well with 
your hands but don’t overdo it.

Shape meat into about 40 meatballs then cook in a large dutch oven. Remove to a plate when done. 

Shape meat into about 40 meatballs 
then cook in a large dutch oven. 
Remove to a plate when done.

In the same large dutch oven you cooked the meatballs in, melt butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. 

In the same large dutch 
oven you cooked the 
meatballs in, melt butter 
over medium heat. Add the 
carrots, celery, onion and garlic.

Saute for about 3 minutes. 

Saute for about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the flour and cook another 3 minutes. 

Sprinkle in the flour and 
cook another 3 minutes.

Stir in the beef broth. Combine the heavy cream with the cornstarch and add that to the broth. Add the Worcesershire sauce, parsley, red pepper flakes, paprika and salt and pepper. 

Stir in the beef broth. Combine the 
heavy cream with the cornstarch 
and add that to the broth. Add the 
Worcestershire sauce, parsley, red 
pepper flakes, paprika and salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium. 

Bring to a boil, turn heat to medium.

Add the sour cream and pasta.... 

Add the sour cream and pasta....

..the meatballs and heat through. 

..the meatballs and heat through.

Serve it up in big ole bowls. Very yummy!! 

Serve it up in big ole bowls. Very yummy!!