Mini Chicken Meatballs Vegetable Soup

You GUYS!!!

I got my kids to eat vegetable soup!!!!

Hubs was out of town and it was cold and yucky outside...rather like today because it is May and it’s snowing outside! 

Anyhow, somehow I got it in my head that I needed to make soup, even though the boys are pretty hit or miss when it comes to soup.

So I decided to make something as close to chicken noodle soup as I could get, but with lots of veggie goodness.

I took the boys to the grocery store with me on the way home from school, and they helped with the vegetable selection process, which I think really helped.  That and meatballs.  Meatballs are always a big hit in our house.

This also makes a GIANT pot of soup, so there were plenty of leftovers…hubs even got in on some of the soup when he got home! 

As with most soups, the flavors continue to develop overnight and it’s even more cohesive and flavorful the next day, though not quite as visually appealing, as the bright green vegetables lose quite a bit of their vibrancy as it sits.

Chicken Meatball & Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Meal Planning Maven

Meatballs

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, minced

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey or pork)

1 egg

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

Salt & pepper, to taste

½ cup breadcrumbs

Soup

2 qt (8 cups) chicken broth

½ cup brown rice or wild rice blend

2 large carrots, sliced

2 stalk celery, diced

1 large crown broccoli, cut into florets

1 small bunch kale (about 4 oz), stem removed & chopped

1 zucchini, diced

¾ cup frozen peas

2 green onions, sliced

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, and minced carrot and cook until softened.  Set aside to cool slightly, reserve skillet.

Once cool enough to handle, add the ground chicken egg, parsley, thyme, salt & pepper, and breadcrumbs to the carrot mixture and mix until combined.

Add more oil to the reserved skillet and heat to medium-high.  Form the chicken mixture into meatballs and cook in the skillet, turning to cook on all sides.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth to boiling.  Add the rice, vegetables, and reserved meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes.  Adjust salt and pepper as desired and serve.

Makes 8-10 bowls of soup.