This is a good meal to catalog into the start of the school year.
Thunder and lightening darkened our gorgeous summer skies yesterday evening causing concerts to be canceled, emergency warnings of quarter-sized hail in parts of the county, flooding streets and me frantically adding more supports to vegetable plants and flowers vulnerable to heavy winds. It was a crazy, wet summer day that required sweatshirts and rain boots be pulled out, It also made soup sound pretty good. SO I made this. All the fresh elements bump up the flavor, creating the perfect balance between rich and savory and slurpable. This is a healthy bowl. Nutritionally and size-wise. Serve with a crusty artisan bread so you can soak up all the delicious broth.
Makes 16 meatballs / 4 large bowls of soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb organic ground chicken (found at TJ’s!!)
- 3 T basil pesto, plus more for serving (home-made or store bought)
- 2 T panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lightly whisked organic egg
- 1 medium white onion, diced and divided (approximately 1-1/2 cups)
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped and divided (approximately 3 tablespoons)
- 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper, plus more for serving
- 1/3 C fresh basil, chiffonade cut, plus more for soup
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium size leek, chopped (white parts only) (approximately 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 1/3 C sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
- 6 cups organic chicken broth
- 1 tsp organic lemon zest
- 2 tsp fresh or dried thyme
- 1-1/2 C lacinato kale, ribs removed and cut in ribbons
- 1/2 C basil, chiffonade cut
- 4 T basil pesto
- Parmesan or pecorino cheese, grated (optional)
- Sliced heirloom tomatoes (optional)
- Parpardelle, cooked very al dente and added to broth for last minute of simmer (optional)
In a large mixing bowl bowl, add ground chicken, basil pesto, panko, egg, 1/4 cup diced onion, 1 tablespoon chopped garlic, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of the basil chiffonade. Mix until well incorporated. On a parchment lined sheet pan, roll 1-1/2 ” balls and place them on the parchment. Put meatballs in refrigerator for 10 minutes until oven is hot. Turn oven on to 450. In a medium size stock pot on medium high heat, add in olive oil, the rest of the onions, the leek and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add in the rest of the chopped garlic, the diced zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and stir in lemon zest, dried thyme and simmer for 10 minutes. While broth is simmering, put meatballs in oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove meatballs and set aside until ready to assemble. If adding pappardelle, cook al dente and add to broth for the last minute of simmer. After 10 minute simmer, add in kale ribbons, basil chiffonade and meatballs. Ladle equal number of meatballs and equal amount of pappardelle per bowl and ladle broth over the top. Spoon one tablespoon pesto into each bowl. Garnish with parmesan and tomatoes, if so desired.