Sicilian Meatball Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground beef
5 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 1/2 quarts low sodium chicken broth or 1 1/2 quarts homemade stock
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in puree
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup small shell pasta or 1 cup other small macaroni noodles

Preparation

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, 4 tablespoons of the parsley, the Parmesan, raisins, bread crumbs, egg, half the garlic, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoons pepper, until thoroughly combined. Shape into 24 meatballs.
In a large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery and the remaining garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth , tomatoes, rosemary, and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining tablespoons parsley, 1/4 teaspoons pepper, and the pasta to the soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the meatballs and simmer until the meatballs and pasta are done, about 5 minutes longer. Serve with additional Parmesan.