Meatball Minestrone Soup

This recipe is based on our mom's minestrone soup. I just tweaked it a bit here today based on what I had and how quickly I could throw it together. Mondays are crazy afternoons/evenings for us with 2 different kids at 2 different schools, during exactly the same time, for orchestra practices. And between the drop-off and pick-up the others get home from school.


Minestrone is basically a name for a variety of thick Italian soups made with veggies, and added pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, carrots, stock, and tomatoes. There is no set recipe for minestrone, since it is usually made out of whatever vegetables are in season. So just use this recipe as a basis and play around with any combination that you or your family like.
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Combine together:

• 1 lb. browned ground hamburger (or diced ham or stew meat chunked, or even vegetarian) (Tonight I used a 24 oz. bag of meatballs.)
• 1 onion, chopped (1/4 c. rehydrated diced onion)
• 1 - 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (2 pints home canned stewed tomatoes)
• 3 c. water
• 2 - 8 oz. cans tomato sauce (Oops! forgot to add this. It still tasted delicious, but I think the added liquid would've helped.)
• 1 Tbs. parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Simmer all above for 15 minutes. Then add:

• 1 - 16 oz. can diced carrots, undrained (1 pint home canned carrots)
• 1 - 16 oz. can green beans, undrained
• 1 - 16 oz. can kidney beans, undrained (1 pint home canned--any kind bean--I used great northerns tonight)
• 1 1/2 c. uncooked pasta (I used elbow macaroni)

Simmer for 10-15 minutes more or until pasta is cooked. Serves 12. (This easily fed my family of 7, with seconds for some, and leftovers for tomorrow too.)
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NOTE: To Pressure Can this recipe
3x this recipe will yield 15 qts. of soup
I would not add the pasta until opening to heat and serve--otherwise it ends ups being really mushy when you reheat. Yuck!
You could easily use fresh carrots and green beans, along with soaked beans overnight, instead of already canned veggies. Just add a bit more water to your soup. Heat it all up a bit before putting in the jars.
Can at 10 lbs. pressure for 90 minutes (because of the meat and beans). Adjust pressure for your altitude.