Dutch Meatball Soup

1 medium onion, minced
1/2 medium green pepper, minced
2 slices whole grain bread, bread-crumbed
1-3 tbsp water, as needed
1 egg
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp oregano

4 cups cold water
1 pkg vegetable soup mix
1 carton low sodium beef broth
1 cup dry macaroni

* You could also drop the raw meatballs into the soup broth after it comes to a boil and let the heat cook them there. It would reduce time and pans, but keeps the fat that would have cooked out in the frying pan.
* Serve with a crusty roll for dipping.

1. Combine onion, green pepper, bread crumb, egg, ground beef, garlic powder, and oregano. Mix well. Add a tbsp of water at a time until the mix is the right consistency to roll into balls.
2. In a frying pan, drop large tsp sized balls of the meat mixture and cook through, remembering to turn as the meat cooks on each side.
3. In a large soup pot, combine cold water, broth and soup mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and add macaroni and cooked meatballs.
4. Simmer for 15 minutes, then serve.

Serving Size: Makes 8 generous 1-cup servings

Number of Servings: 8

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user JLOGTENBERG.