TERESA MERKLIN

In the spirit of balancing tennis and life, here is a recipe that is a complete game-changer for preserving family meal time on those days with scattered league matches. This meatball soup is called “TCD” because we have it all the time in conjunction with mixed doubles league play organized by the “Tennis Competitors of Dallas.”  It is a recipe with the instruction:  “Go play tennis.”  

Coordinating the Sunday evening meal on TCD tennis days can be a challenge. It is a fact that two sweaty and hungry adults will be arriving at home sometime in the proximity of dinner. However, the exact times and sequence of arrival are not precisely predictable. The only constant is that no one will be in the mood to cook. Take-out meals are deceptively hard to coordinate and generally not a great solution for us.

The recipe for TCD Meatball Soup was a winning formula. It is a meal that can be quickly assembled before heading out to our league matches. It simmers in a slow cooker for a very flexible length of time that corresponds roughly to the length of a league tennis match plus commute time. Pasta is added 20 minutes before serving which happens to be the nominal length of time we need to change out of sweaty tennis clothes and shower.

TCD Meatball Soup is an extremely hearty and filling meal. We usually serve it with homemade focaccia bread that coincidentally bakes for the same 20 minutes it takes the pasta to cook. A store-bought artisan loaf would work almost as well.

Because it is a soup, the meal also helps with post-match hydration. That is particularly important because a nice Tuscan red pairs perfectly with it. Tennis and life, perfectly balanced.

TCD Meatball Soup

• 1 package (26 ounces) frozen fully cooked Italian meatballs

• 3-4 medium carrots, sliced (sometimes I use frozen)

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped

• 2 stalks of celery, sliced

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 1 carton (32 ounces) beef broth

• 1 can (10 oz) Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chilis, undrained

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

• 2 cups water

• 3/4 cup dry red wine (or water)

• 3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta

• 4 cups fresh baby spinach (about 5 ounces)

• Grated Parmesan cheese

Before Tennis:

Place the first 11 ingredients (meatballs through the red wine/water) in a large slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are tender and flavors are blended, 5-6 hours. Go play tennis!

After Tennis:

Stir in pasta; cook, covered, on high until pasta is tender, 20 minutes. Go shower!

When Serving:

Stir in spinach until wilted. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by this one at a Taste of Home.

Learn more about Tennis Competitors of Dallas at tcdtennis.com.

Teresa Merklin is a NWTO member who publishes original tennis content every single day on her blog at fiendatcourt.com. Her wide-ranging topics and perspectives usually resonate with other NTWO members.