Chicken Meatballs Spinach Pasta (Print Version)
Chicken meatballs, pasta, and spinach swim in a tasty broth with lemon, celery, carrots, and more.
# Ingredients:
→ Chicken Meatballs
01 -
1 tsp onion powder
02 -
1 tsp salt
03 -
1 tsp Italian seasoning
04 -
3 cloves garlic, minced
05 -
24 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
06 -
1 egg, beaten
07 -
45 ml milk or half and half
08 -
60 g Italian breadcrumbs
09 -
450 g ground chicken
→ Soup Base
10 -
Juice of 1 lemon (about 30 ml), freshly squeezed
11 -
24 g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
12 -
120 g baby spinach
13 -
100 g ditalini pasta, uncooked
14 -
1 chicken bouillon cube
15 -
1.65 litres chicken broth
16 -
0.25 tsp black pepper
17 -
0.25 tsp ground sage
18 -
0.25 tsp dried thyme
19 -
0.75 tsp mustard powder
20 -
0.75 tsp dried parsley
21 -
0.75 tsp dried oregano
22 -
0.75 tsp dried basil
23 -
5 ml hot sauce
24 -
5 ml soy sauce
25 -
3 cloves garlic, minced
26 -
2 celery ribs, diced
27 -
95 g carrots, sliced
28 -
1 yellow onion, diced
29 -
30 g butter
# Steps:
01 -
In a big bowl, toss together ground chicken, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, Parmesan, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and salt. Don’t over-mix—just stir until it’s kind of blended so your meatballs stay nice and tender.
02 -
Heat up your oven to 200°C. Scoop the chicken mixture into golf-ball-sized rounds (about 2.5 cm) and plop them onto a greased, light baking pan. Bake for 11 minutes. Then flip to high broil (245°C) for a minute to get a little color. Use a spatula to move them to a plate.
03 -
Drop butter in a soup pot on medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Let that cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it softens up. Stir in the garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder, thyme, sage, and pepper. Let all these flavors hang out for 2 more minutes.
04 -
Pour in the chicken broth, toss in the bouillon cube, and let it get to boiling. Turn it down till it just bubbles gently. Carefully put the meatballs in and let them simmer while you fix the pasta.
05 -
Fill a different pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Chuck in the ditalini and cook till just right (check the box if you’re not sure). Drain it and hold it aside. Add the cooked pasta straight to bowls right before you’re ready to eat.
06 -
Drop the spinach into your soup and stir till it wilts, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat. Stir in the fresh Parmesan and squeeze in that lemon juice to really brighten things up.
07 -
Spoon the veggie and meatball soup over the pasta in bowls. Grab a spoon and dig in right away.
# Notes:
01 -
Making your pasta in a different pot keeps it from sucking up all the broth and getting soggy later.
02 -
Tossing a Parmesan rind into the simmering pot packs in an extra layer of flavor—just don’t forget to fish it out before serving.
03 -
Hit the soup with fresh lemon juice—not bottled—for a punchy boost.
04 -
Swap in kale if you'd rather, but cook it longer so it softens up.
05 -
Soup stores best without the pasta. Stick pasta in at the last minute so it doesn't soak up all the broth when reheating.
06 -
Leftover rice works just as well as the pasta if you want to switch things up.