Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 carrot, chopped into a small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 2 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 cups tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated cheese, Parmigiano or Romano, plus more to pass at table
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 pound spaghetti, broken in half
• 1 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded
• 1 loaf Italian crusty bread, for dunking

Directions

1. Preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and stock and cover pot. Turn up heat and bring to a fast boil.

2. While soup comes to a boil, mix the ground meat with cheese, bread crumbs, egg and parsley. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls.

3. Remove lid from soup and slide balls into soup. Bring back to a boil then stir in spaghetti. Reduce the heat and simmer soup 10 minutes more, until pasta is tender and balls have cooked through. Stir in basil and remove “stoup” from the stove. Serve soup with bread and cheese.

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