An easy, hearty one pot supper, Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Chicken Meatballs is a perfect mid week supper.
When I first moved to New England in 2007 (omg!) I needed a wardrobe update; the winter coat grew longer, the snow boots grew taller, and muck boots became fashionable. If you live in New England, you know the fifth season, which comes around this time of year, is neither winter nor spring…it’s known as mud season. Mud season is exactly what it sounds like. The ground has thawed from winter’s grasp, spring has brought excessive rain and the soil just simply says…crap.
Mud season likes to play funny tricks on us. It feels like spring, but the rains bring a slight chill back into the air, forcing us to shake off the winter jackets once more and reluctantly acquire a few more weeks of hat hair. So, the large stock pot comes back out and various soup begin to simmer on the stove all week long.
The perfect one pot wonder:
There are absolutely few things better than having a bowl of soup on a cold day. It’s one of life’s small pleasures where you can curl up, preferably with a blanket and some cozy socks, and hold a cozy bowl of nourishment. I love a “meal” soup; that huge one pot wonder that you throw together to fit into your busy life. When I create a meal soup recipe, I make sure it hits all the marks; protein, deep greens, garlic, a hint of fresh, and some umami.
Creating a soup is all about the balance of flavors. This garlicky, hearty soup warms the belly and the soul with a nourishing, well-balanced meal. Simple to make with flavors that taste even better the next day, Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Chicken Meatballs is full of greens, fennel, white beans, orzo, and herbed chicken meatballs. A touch of lemon at the end gives it a fresh, floral finish.
I often make this Tuscan Kale & White Bean with Chicken Meatballs vegetarian. Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock, eliminate the meatballs and pile on a generous portion of parmesan cheese to your cozy bowl of soup right before serving. Slice some crusty bread for dipping and make this soup a dinner-worthy affair.
Crash Course Cooking School: Soup
Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Chicken Meatballs
The Building Blocks:
Building the foundation of your soup begins before you add the broth. The method for creating any soup is caramelize your onions, garlic, and foundation veggies, sauté greens, bloom spices, add broth, add longer cooking additives such as potatoes, meatballs, pieces of meat, etc..
For this recipe, I love fennel because it adds that touch of sweetness, garlic for the hint of warmth, and red chili flakes for a glimmer of spice. When creating a soup, ask yourself what layers of flavor do you want to build. Example; diced carrots add a pop of bright sweetness where as caramelized onions add savory richness. Adding spices to the base also transforms your soup, adding yet another layer. If you’re soup is Italian flavored inspired, you may want to add rosemary, red chili flakes, and thyme. If you’re soup is Middle Eastern based you may want to add cumin, hiwaij, turmeric, etc. Be bold! Create a new soup!
The Details:
Sear your meatballs first: Nothing is worse than a squishy meatballs! Searing the meatballs first ensures you seal in that beautiful flavor as well as create lovely texture and flavor on the outside. My quick hack is cooking meatballs under a broiler. They get a lovely sear (closely watched of course) without the hassle of a frying pan.
Bloom your spices: Whenever a recipe calls for adding spices, adding the spices before the liquid and cooking until fragrant will wake them up.
A touch of zest: Think of zest as the fruit’s perfume. Zest is a great way to bring extra flavor to a dish that has been simmering for a long time. Add it after your soup (or any dish) is done cooking so the flavors remain vibrant.
Add your protein of choice: For this recipe, I chose chicken meatballs, but you can use a protein of your choice including shredded rotisserie chicken, ground beef meatballs, etc.
Don’t like kale? Use spinach or white-stemmed Swiss chard or spinach instead.
Salt: Since different stocks contain drastically different amounts of sodium, start with just ½ teaspoon of salt and add more at the end as needed.
Stock: I strongly recommend using homemade chicken stock/broth for this recipe. However, when I’m short on time, I use Imagine’s Low-Sodium No-Chicken Broth.
Orzo: The longer the orzo sits in the soup, the softer it will become. If you expect to have leftovers, cook and store the orzo separately, adding some to each bowl right before serving, so it doesn’t become mushy.
Make it Cheesy: Make this soup vegetarian. Swap out the chicken soup base for vegetable stock and omit the meatballs. Top each bowl with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Prep ahead: Follow steps 1–5. When the meatballs are cool, pile them into a zip-top bag and freeze. When you’re ready to use them, place directly from the freezer into your soup or sauce.
Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup with Chicken Meatballs
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 2¼ lbs. ground chicken
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil minced
- 1½ tablespoons fresh parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Soup
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 4-5 large garlic cloves minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes or to taste
- 1 4-inch sprig of rosemary, leaves minced
- 1 large bulb fennel diced (remove fibrous outer layer)
- 2 packed cups Tuscan kale stems removed, leaves cut in thin ribbons (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste (see notes)
- 2 15-oz. cans white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock see notes
- 2 large dried bay leaves
- ¼ cup uncooked orzo
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or to taste
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken meatballs: Preheat oven to the low broil setting.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken, salt, eggs, breadcrumbs, basil, parsley, and garlic powder, mixing until everything is incorporated.
- Gently roll the mixture into walnut-sized meatballs, taking care not to pack it tightly.
- Place meatballs on a broiler-safe baking sheet. Broil 3–4 minutes or until the tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, flip the meatballs over, and return to the broiler for an additional 2 minutes, or until they start to brown. Set aside.
- Prepare the soup: In an 8-quart Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat.
- Add garlic, chili flakes, and rosemary. Cook 1 minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add fennel and cook 3–4 minutes, until it begins to soften.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the kale, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir continuously as the kale cooks and reduces in volume, about 2–3 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pot to a bowl and set aside.
- Add half the beans to the pot. Add stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender (see note), carefully blend until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a potato masher.
- Add the bay leaves, kale mixture, chicken meatballs, and remaining beans. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes (the longer the better!). Remove the bay leaves.
- Ten minutes before serving, bring a small pot to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente (see notes).
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with bread.
Leave a Reply