With winter schedules ramping up, leaving precious available time for meal prep, you will appreciate the simplicity of this tummy-warming one-pot meal. And everyone loves meatballs, right? Just add these easy to make mini morsels to a pot of simmering broth. Toss in a bunch of nutrient-packed veggies plus brown rice for added “staying power” and you’ve created a satisfying meal your family will ask for again and again.
Mini Chicken Meatballs ‘n Vegetable Soup
Yield: about 6 servings
Click HERE for the full recipe, but in the nutshell, here is what you do:
Make the Meatballs
Assemble all the ingredients for the meatballs.
Sauté chopped onions, garlic and carrots for about 5 minutes or until softened and just beginning to brown. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, mix together remaining meatball ingredients plus reserved sautéed vegetables. (Mixture may need some additional breadcrumbs or ground oats to form meatballs.)
Form mixture into 1-inch sized meatballs. (will make 24-36)
In a large frying pan, brown meatballs on all sides, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat; drain on paper towels. (Meatballs will finish cooking in soup.)
Make the Soup
In a medium stockpot (about 6 quarts), bring chicken broth (or stock), salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add meatballs. Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through, with no pink color remaining.
Reduce heat to low. Stir in carrots, snow peas, broccoli, bok choy, asparagus, green onions and rice. Cover; simmer for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Taste; adjust seasonings as desired.
As this soup is a hearty one-pot meal, simply serve with salad, crackers or bread sticks with fruit for dessert and dinner is done!
Mini Chicken Meatballs ‘n Vegetable Soup
Yield: about 4 servings
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey or lean ground beef
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or as desired
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper or as desired
- 1/2 cup whole wheat or gluten-free breadcrumbs or ground oats may need more if mixture is loose
Soup
- 8 cups all-natural reduced-sodium chicken broth like Saffron Road or Imagine or homemade chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 cup snow peas trimmed and sliced into thirds
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups baby bok choy or regular size, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups sliced asparagus
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup cooked brown rice or brown rice couscous, whole wheat orzo or quinoa
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a medium pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high setting until hot. Sauté chopped onions, garlic and carrots for about 5 minutes or until softened and just beginning to brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together remaining meatball ingredients plus reserved sautéed vegetables. (Mixture may need some additional breadcrumbs or ground oats to form meatballs.)
- Form mixture into 1-inch sized meatballs. (will make 24-36)
- In a large frying pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on all sides, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat; drain on paper towels (Meatballs will finish cooking in soup.)
Soup
- In a medium stockpot (about 6 quarts), bring chicken broth (or stock), salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; add meatballs.
- Simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through, with no pink color remaining.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in carrots, snow peas, broccoli, bok choy, asparagus, green onions and rice. Cover; simmer for about 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Taste; adjust seasonings as desired.
- As this soup is a hearty one-pot meal, simply serve with salad, crackers or bread sticks with fruit for dessert and dinner is done!
Notes
Notes
Can’t find ground chicken? These meatballs will be equally delicious made with lean ground beef or turkey.
Have you ever tried baby bok choy? More tender and sweet than regular-sized baby bok choy, this versatile Asian veggie is a wonderful addition to stir-fries and soups. Look for baby bok choy in natural food stores such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, farmers markets and some supermarkets. To prepare baby bok choy, simply trim off the ends and roughly chop the stems and leaves .
Mix up your veggies! Feel free to add different veggies according to taste preferences and availability. Zucchini, yellow squash, sugar snap peas, parsnips…they’re all good!
Loaded with tummy-filling meatballs and veggies, this soup is really a “one-pot” meal. Simply serve it with a salad and fruit and your dinner is complete.
Other “meal-in-a-pot” soups you may enjoy: Crockpot Chicken Fajita Soup and Turkey-Vegetable-Barley Soup.
Coming to the Blog: My Sweetie’s Favorite Cheesecake + a Lovely Valentine’s Menu
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Linda Shapiro, Meal Planning Maven
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