Buttery Lima Bean Meatball Soup

When most people think of meatballs they think of Italian spaghetti and meatballs. For a change of pace theirs nothing better than a hot bowl of soup made with buttery lima beans and meatballs to warm you up from the inside out on a cold winter night.

Preparation: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 1/2 hours

Servings: 2-4

1 pound ground beef

1 cup dry lima beans

1 bay leaf (remove after cooking)

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup carrots,diced

1/4 cup celery with leaves, diced

1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 beef bouillon cube

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 (15.5 ounce) can tomatoes, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse lima beans and pour into the Dutch oven with 4 cups of water. Bring water to a rapid boil for 3 minutes; set aside for 1 hour.

2. In a small bowl, mix flour and 1/2 cup water; pour into Dutch oven with lima beans. Cook over medium heat until fork tender; stir in onion, bouillon cube, tomatoes,carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and bay leaf; bring to boil; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine with your hands ground beef, Italian style bread crumbs, evaporated milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Roll meat mixture into balls about the size of a quarter. Add to Dutch oven; cover and bake in oven for 1 hour or until meatballs are cooked; stir occasionally.