Hidden Rainbow Albondigas

Category Finalist: Family Dinners. "When I met my husband three years ago, he suggested I try cooking albondigas, a traditional Mexican soup with meatballs and vegetables. His mother taught me how to prepare her authentic version. My children wouldn't eat chunks of vegetables, so I needed to re-create the dish. I pureed a package of stir-fry vegetables, fresh carrots, and canned tomatoes with the broth mixture and added yellow squash to the meatballs. Now I take pleasure in knowing that my children are eating a colorful dish of 'hidden' vegetables." —Emily Almaguer, Fort Worth, Texas

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  (16-ounce) bag frozen pepper stir-fry (such as Birds Eye)
• 3/4  cup  diced carrot
• 2  (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 1  (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 2  (32-ounce) cartons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (32-ounce) carton fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 1/2  cups  shredded yellow squash
• 1  cup  fresh cilantro sprigs
• 3/4  cup  uncooked long-grain white rice, divided
• 1/2  cup  chopped sweet onion
• 1  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1  large egg
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pepper stir-fry to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, chiles, and broths; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until carrot is tender.

2. Place one-third of broth mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining broth mixture. Return to pan.

3. Combine chicken, pork, squash, cilantro, 1/4 cup rice, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and egg in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until blended. Bring broth mixture to a boil. Drop meat mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls (about 45 meatballs) into broth mixture. Add remaining 1/2 cup rice to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until meatballs are done. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in juice.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

184

Fat:

3.5g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

20.8g

Carbohydrate:

16.2g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

64mg

Iron:

1.6mg

Sodium:

790mg

Calcium:

26mg