Chicken Meatball, Kale and White Bean Soup
Quick & delicious meal
This soup has infinite possibilities. You probably have most of what you need already in your fridge and pantry. Swap as many ingredients as your heart desires! Very fun & forgiving.
There are a limitless amount of swaps available with this recipe so don’t fret if you don’t have everything - you can truly make this your own. I love this soup’s hearty and healthy feel and the special something the meatballs give it. It’s a low effort high reward dinner that I hope you enjoy!
Let’s go shopping.
Olive or Avocado Oil (5-6 tbsp)
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground chicken (turkey will also work)
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (can use basil or mint or any herb of your choice)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried oregano
6 cups high quality chicken stock
1 540ml can of white beans (I used white kidney beans)
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
2 cups kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (spinach will also work)
Salt (to taste)
For serving
Chopped parsley (or basil)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
*Missing: panko and parmesan cheese
Cook your onion and garlic down
Add 2 tbsp oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes.
Remove the onion and garlic mix from the dutch oven.
Softened onion and garlic mixture
Make the meatballs
In a large bowl, mix together about 1/2 the cooked onion and garlic mixture, ground chicken, chopped parsley, panko, cumin, coriander, oregano, feta cheese, salt and pepper.
Mix all the ingredients to incorporate but don’t overmix.
Form your meatballs by rolling about 2 tbsp of the mixture together. You can also use a small ice cream scoop to make this easier and have the meatballs more uniform in shape (mine are perfectly imperfect). Should make about 12-14 meatballs.
Cook the meatballs and prepare the soup
Turn the dutch oven back on medium high heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Add the meatballs, being sure to not overcrowd the pan and cooking in batches, if required. Brown the meatballs on all sides. They don’t need to be fully cooked through, but you do want to see the colour on all sides.
Once the meatballs are all cooked, add them back to the pan and add your chicken stock. Cook on medium for about 15 minutes, letting the meatballs simmer and cook in the stock.
Add the butternut squash and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the squash begins to soften. Add the drained and rinsed white beans and the kale, cooking for about 5 minutes until the greens are wilted.
You’re ready to serve! Be sure to grate a pile of fresh grated parmesan, fresh herbs and salt and pepper. Serve with some crusty bread and butter.
