Mexican Meatball Soup

Ingredients

-1 tablespoon cooking oil
-1 small red onion, chopped
-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
-1 zucchini (about 1/2 pound), cut into 1/2-inch dice
-2 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
-2 cups water
-1 1/2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)
-1 3/4 teaspoons salt
-3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
-1/2 pound ground beef
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 1/2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
-1 egg, beaten to mix
-1 cup fresh (cut from about 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels
-1 tablespoon lime juice

Directions

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and half the jalapenos and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini,1 1/2 teaspoons of the dried oregano, if using, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cumin and cook, stirring, until the zucchini starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the broth, water, tomatoes, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic, the remaining jalapeno, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of the fresh oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the bread crumbs and the egg. Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
Add the meatballs and corn to the soup and simmer until the meatballs are just done, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, if using.