Mini Chicken Meatball Soup | How Sweet It Is

Mini Chicken Meatball Soup.

February 23, 2012

Helllllo there.

Guess what?

Last week, I had a cup of wedding soup for the first time in like, YEARS. That may sound crazy to some of you but wedding soup is never my first choice… probably because I have no Italian in me whatsoever. And no, I would not like any either thankyouverymuch.

But it was deee.lish.usss. All I could think about was how I wanted to make a soup with little chicken meatballs. So I did.

I’m cut from a simple cloth.

Is soup season coming to a close in the next month or so? I guess for many normal people it is, but I’m not normal and I don’t have a soup season. I eat soup when it’s like 96 degrees outside. Then I hate life, but whatever. Soup is SO good.

Ew, but not with salads. Bah-lahhh. Soup and sandwiches for the win.

You have a meal in a bowl here my friends! You’ve got your chicken… you’ve got your pasta… you’ve got an entire brick of parmesan cheese grated on top… it can’t get much better than this.

Oh wait. Yes it can. BREAD. Warm and toasty and buttered. Yeah yeah… do that.

Mini Chicken Meatball Soup

[meatballs adapted from bite sized baked meatballs]

serves 4-6

for meatballs

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 large egg

1/4 cup romano cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix until just combined. Taking 1 tablespoon or so of the mixture, roll into meatballs of desired size.

for soup

2 1/2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

4 cups raw spinach

32 ounces low-sodium chicken stock

4 cups water

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups small pasta (I used ditalini rigati)

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Add onion with a pinch of salt and stir to coat, then let cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in spinach and garlic, stirring continuously until spinach wilts. Remove from the pot and set aside in a bowl.

With the heat still on medium, add remaining canola oil. Add in chicken meatballs and cook for 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook 2-3 minutes more. (If you make larger meatballs, you will have to cook a few minutes longer. Additionally I found it was easier to flip the meatballs with two small spoons since they are all crowded together in the pot.) Once meatballs are browned, add onion and spinach mixture back to the pot, then add in stock, water and tomatoes. Stir gently making sure meatballs have started to float. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes. Add in pasta and parmesan cheese, then cook for 8-10 minutes more before serving.

Serve with additional parm. Mmm.