Pampered Chef Italian Meatball Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
1 small onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon italian seasoning mix
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
16 frozen fully cooked meatballs
salt
fresh coarse ground black pepper

Preparation

Peel carrots. Finely chop carrots, celery and onion with a food chopper.
Lightly spray a 4 quart casserole with oil and add carrots, celery and onion. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring occasionally.
Push vegetables to one side of casserole. Add tomato paste; cook 1-2 minutes or until tomato paste begins to caramelize.
Add pressed garlic and seasoning mix; mix well. Stir in tomatoes, broth and water; bring to a simmer.
Cut meatballs in half; add to soup. Simmer an additional 10-12 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.