Vegetable & Meatball Soup

My Mom got this recipe from a good friend who now lives in North Carolina. We really like this soup because it's hearty and very filling, considering that it's a vegetable soup. It has a northeastern flavor. Enjoy.

6 cups water

4 cups Italian stewed tomatoes

1, 1/2 cups chopped celery

2 cups diced carrots

5 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

2 large onions, chopped

4 tsp. salt

3 bay leaves

2 tbs chopped parsley

1 tbs sugar

2 tsp ground oregano

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp ground basil

2 - 16 oz cans cut green beans

12 oz whole kernel corn

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2 lbs. lean ground beef

2 eggs

1/3 cup bread crumbs

2 tbs milk

2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Combine the first 13 ingredients in a large dutch oven or pot. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

To make the meatballs: combine hamburger, eggs, crumbs, milk, salt, pepper and mix well. Shape the meat into 1 inch balls. Drop raw meatballs into boiling soup and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and corn for the last 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve.

This soup can be frozen.

The bay leaves will be difficult to find in all of the soup. Mom and I just serve it and remove the leaves as we find them.

The meatball recipe is really versatile. You can put them in spaghetti, calzones, as an appetizer or make your own meatball submarine sandwiches!