Meatball soup is a great toddler lunch idea. Easy to make, yummy to eat. Works all year round. Creamy, nutritious and healthy. This meatball soup can be part of any weekly toddler meal plan since it contributes to optimal nutrition during the first years of life.

So what’s the big secret? How to make it?

Surprisingly, this meatball soup can be ready in just 30 min and does not require much of your time. So there it is:

Meatballs Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup ground beef
• 2 tbsp rice
• 2 potatoes in cubes
• 1 onion, diced or 1 fresh onion, diced
• 1 carrot, shredded or in small cubes
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3-4 cups of water
• optional
• 1-2 tbsp Vermicelli or Alphabet pasta (3 min cook time)
• 1 small bunch of fresh spearmint
• or dry spearmint
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Put the ground beef in a bowl and add rice, salt, and dry spearmint.
2. Knead everything well together in and form small or midsized meatballs.
3. Put the meatballs, potatoes, carrots, onion, olive oil, salt and the water in a pot. If you use fresh onion, add it 10-15 min later.
4. Cook everything for around 20 min until the potatoes are well cooked and became very soft.
5. If you want to thicken the soup add 2 spoons of alphabet pasta or vermicelli and cook for another 3 min
6. Turn the temperature on low.
7. Mix the yogurt with the egg yolk. Use a fork to stir vigorously till frothy.
8. Add the mixed yogurt and egg yolk to the ready soup and stir everything well.
9. Let it cook for a minute on low temperature and turn off the stove.
10. Cut the spearmint in small and add it to the soup.
11. Ready to serve! Enjoy!

Here you go! A yummy, creamy, nutritious and healthy toddler lunch that can be served with a slice of bread or toast or simply nothing.

Benefits of the Meatball Soup

This soup provides significant amounts of micronutrients such iron, zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B.

It’s important to note, that meat plays a central role in a healthy toddler diet. It contributes to the intake of 10 key nutrients: energy, protein, vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin, iron and zinc.

Toddlers and preschoolers have often limited food habits. Very often, they overconsume milk which may put toddlers at increased risk of poor iron status. This risk can be avoided, when the child consumes moderate to high amounts of iron-rich or iron-enhancing foods such as meat and fruit.

You can read more about the role of red meat in a diet of children here: Nutrition & Dietetics 2007; 64 (Suppl. 4): S143–S146

Happy and healthy eating!