Tomato Basil Bisque with Italian Meatballs

This turned out tasting just as amazing as it sounds! The only slicing and dicing involved is for the leeks and basil. Don't spend too much time making perfect or tiny slices though because those ingredients just go into the blender anyways. The recipe below serves four, so I had to significantly increase the ingredients to get enough meals for our house. Since we aren't big soup fans I ended up using a ratio of half bisque to meatballs, which is why my meal looks less saucy. I absolutely love an Italian dish with basil and tomato flavors and this meal was exactly that. I topped over some plain cauliflower rice and rice and really enjoyed eating this meal for lunch all week long. If you give this one a try let me know what you think! 

Tomato Basil Bisque with Italian Meatballs
​Ingredients:

• 1 leek stalk, sliced thinly
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup fresh chopped basil
• 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk
• *optional: 1 tablespoon honey or agave
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine the ground beef, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Using a 1/4 measuring up, scoop the meat mixture then form into a ball
3. Place the raw meatballs on a baking sheet and place into the oven to cook for 12-15 minutes
4. While the meatballs are cooking, sauté the sliced leek in olive oil just slightly below medium-high heat for roughly 5 minutes
5. Pour the the sautéed leeks from the saucepan into a blender, then add the diced tomatoes (with juice), fresh basil, and coconut milk. Blend until you reach the desired consistency (pulsing for a chunkier texture, blending on high for a creamy bisque)
6. Pour the tomato basil bisque back into the saucepan and turn heat to medium-low, just to warm throughout. Add the honey or agave if desired (this helps cut the acidity a bit – add more sweetener as needed)
7. Once the meatballs are finished cooking, add to the bisque

Original recipe found here