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It's been quite the fall, a non-stop whirlwind to be exact. Preparations for the New York Burlesque Festival took over all of September and straight from that I ran head on into an October that had me in a different city (+ 1 different country) every weekend. In my pre-baby life, this was normal and quite manageable. In my post-baby life, it's like being on a roller coaster with no safety bar in a rain storm while holding said baby. Packing, unpacking, bringing baby, not bringing baby, covering baby guarding duties, rehearsing, not rehearsing, wishing I rehearsed, planes, trains, automobiles, and late late nights with early mornings. When I closed out my run of shows I kissed my shag carpet. I was so happy to be home and so utterly exhausted. But the hope of getting home and resting is kind of like the hope of hitting the lottery.
Now that I'm a procreator, I notice that when I am working with non-procreators, they say things like, "I can't wait to just go home and pass out! I'm gonna sleep all day!" I can't even remember when that was an option! I have faint memories of waking up after 6AM but they are fading like a polaroid from the 60's. Me, I go home, try to sleep and my babe just piles things on top of me. She lifts my eyelids, climbs on me, sometimes she has even been known to do a good old fashioned WWE elbow drop while I'm just about to hit that deep sleep zone. Once, after I dozed off on the couch, I woke up to her methodically sprinkling the pretzel crumbs from the bottom of the bag ALL over me. So yeah, no rest for mom. And that's cool, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I'm just another member in the millions strong around the world kick-ass mom club.
What does all this have to do with Chicken Meatball Veggie soup, well not much really, except for since I have been home I'm craving the cozy HARD, like so hard I went to Target and bought a thermal pant suit. But as far as food is concerned, I'm all about soups and stews this week and this veggie soup with tender chicken meatballs hits the spot! Plus it's carb-free. I've left out pasta or rice and opted for doubling up on those veggies, so slurp up babies, this hearty bowl of goodness is guilt-free!!!
Feeds 6 - 8 and great for freezing!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
What Do I Need
For the Soup
64 Ounces Chicken Stock
1/2 Bunch of Kale
1 Large Carrot
2 Stalks of Celery
1 Yellow Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Cup Fresh Green Beans
1 Cup Passata (you can substitute with crushed tomatoes)
1/2 Parmigiano or Pecorino Cheese Rind (if you have it)
For the Meatballs
16 Ounces Ground Chicken (you can use dark or light)
3 Garlic Cloves
Parsley
Salt & Pepper
1 Egg (beat)
1/4 Cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Now What
Begin by prepping all your veggies. Always clean them under running water, even if the bag says they did. Next, cut the kale leaves from the stem, discard stems, tear leaves into 1 - 1/2" pieces and place in bowl. Remove seeds and dice the red pepper, place in bowl with kale. Rough chop the onion, thin slice the celery and carrot and place in the same veggie bowl, then cut the green beans into 1" pieces and place in same bowl and set aside.
In a large soup pot, bring your chicken stock (and your cheese rind if you have it)
to a boil, add all your veggies and lower heat and let simmer.
Now let's get onto the meatballs. Place your ground chicken in a bowl, salt and pepper to taste, add 1 T of chopped parsley, 3 cloves of garlic chopped, 1/4 cup grated parmigiana and crack an egg in there, mix well with a fork blending everything together.
Bring your soup back to a boil. Carefully roll your meatballs - they should be about 1/2" in size and as you roll them, carefully drop them into the broth. They are going to be super soft, don't panic if it's not a perfect ball, just carefully get it into that boiling broth! Once all your meatballs are in, lower the heat to bring your soup back to a simmer, add your 1 Cup of passata and cook on a low simmer for about 45 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste before serving and ENJOY!
