Chicken Meatball Soup With Ditalini.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- avocado oil for searing the meatballs
For the soup
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 sweet onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 32 oz chicken stock 4 cups
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 parmesan rind (or 2 inch chunk of parmesan cheese)
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup ditalini pasta (uncooked) (gluten free pasta or cauliflower)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
Make the meatballs
- In a mixing bowl or food processor, combine ground chicken, parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Use an ice cream scoop to make 1″ balls and place on baking sheet.
- Heat avocado oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. (They don't have to be cooked through.) Remove them from the pot and set them aside.
Make the soup
- Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the same pot you cooked the meatballs in and saute for 5 minutes or until soft and tender.
- Next, add in the tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, marinara sauce, and salt to taste. Cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and Parmesan rind. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.
- Stir in the uncooked pasta (ditalini) and meatballs. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, then cook for 10 minutes uncovered, or until pasta is al dente.
- Then stir in spinach, let wilt for 5 minutes, and serve.Top with more parmesan cheese to serve.