a different kind of chicken soup

Leah here. I really like making soup on Sundays. Not only is it (typically) an easy dish I can throw together while washing, drying and folding four or five loads of laundry--but there is plenty left over for lunch on Monday. One less thing to think about on a Monday morning: yes, please!

I flagged this soup right away when my April issue of Bon Appetit showed up in the mail. They included suggestions like doubling the batch of chicken meatballs to freeze and use for other quick dishes. People left glorious comments online about the flavor of this dish. I finally got around to it today and I have two words: NO JOKE. Not only did I want to simply snack on these little meatballs, but they would also be great simmered in marinara sauce and made into a meatball sub or tossed into a pasta. Maybe sliced in half and thrown on a homemade pizza. Next time, I will make double. But today I was making soup. 

A certain slim lady is often heard saying and tweeting, "use what you've got." I swear I said that way before her. In my head at least. When I read a recipe I'm usually making substitutions for 40 percent of the recipe---within reason. Don't have chives but have parsley? Sub it. Have turkey but not chicken? Should be fine. Brown sugar for white. Pancake syrup for real maple syrup. It isn't always an exact replica but rarely can you mess something up with some quick research and substitutions. Plus you save a few bucks by not buying brand new ingredients you only need a few pinches or smidgens of. 

Case in point, this recipe calls for ditalini or other small pasta. I didn't have any and didn't want to buy any. What I did have: giant pasta shells. 

Get creative. Use what you have. Break spaghetti up in to small pieces. Use spiral noodles. Or bash up shells in a food processor and you have...

Ta-da! Tiny pasta!

The meatballs come together quickly. I subbed dry bread crumbs for fresh because that's what I had. Parsley from my patio pots instead of chives which I think added a nice brightness. I love cooking with ground turkey but did buy ground chicken for this. It's actually cheaper. It also has a higher fat content making a very tender, tasty meatball.

This minestrone calls for carrots (which I had) and leeks which I splurged on. I knew they had a nice onion flavor but for a cost or ease perspective, green onions or even celery would have been fine here. I had spinach on hand but kale would have also worked. Just let it simmer a bit longer if subbing a heartier green. 

Start to finish, this soup took about 25 minutes. I ended up letting it cool down and reheating it making dinner time a snap. It says it's four servings but I'd argue for five or six especially if you served this along a salad or entree. We enjoyed ours with toasted dinner rolls. 

Easy, bright, springy and delicious. I chopped up the meatballs and veggies for my toddler minus the broth. Hubs, not typically a soup lover, complimented this after bite number one. Best part---we get to enjoy it again over lunch Monday!

Spring Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs
(Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit's April issue)

Ingredients
6 ounces ground chicken (I bumped it up to 8 oz or 1 pound)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used dry seasoned breadcrumbs with no trouble)
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for garnish (about 1 cup total)
4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 2 thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (I used parsley from my back porch)
1 large egg, whisked to blend
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (celery and/or spring onions would be a fine substitution)
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta (you saw my substitution, ha!)
1 cup 1/2-inch rounds peeled carrots
1 cup (packed) baby spinach (kale or other green might work here, just let it simmer longer)
Chopped fresh basil (i omitted)

Preparation per Bon Appetit
Mix chicken, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp. Parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves, chives, egg, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl. Form into 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs (I got 27). Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Cook meatballs until golden all over, about 3 minutes (they will finish cooking in soup). Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Add sliced leek to large pot and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and carrots; simmer until pasta is almost al dente, about 8 minutes. Add meatballs; simmer until pasta is al dente, carrots are tender, and meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes.

My note -- If you are making this ahead of time, stop here. Either simmer on low until ready to eat, or, if serving at a later time, let cook and store. Reheat when ready to serve.

When ready to serve, bring the soup back up to a simmer. Add spinach and remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan; stir until spinach is bright green and wilted. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped herbs and Parmesan.

Interested in a few more soup ideas? 

If you like the endless soup at Olive Garden you must try my friend Heather's version of Zuppa Toscana. HEAVEN. 


If you are a tomato lover and like a little bit of spice, try this spicy tomato and blue cheese soup from Leite's Culinaria. But trust me and HALF the amount of sriracha it calls for. Don't be brave. Just do it. 






Do you have any Sunday afternoon cooking traditions? 

spring rolls - activity, dinner

Leah here. I'll typically pick a cool, herby spring roll over it's fried egg roll cousin. Have you tried a spring roll? A soft, chewy rice wrapper that neatly holds anything from crunchy veggies to herbs and even shredded chicken or cooked shrimp. I like making things you can make your own --like a big salad or homemade pizza. These types of meals are fun with friends or family, too. Lay out a big bowl of lettuce, a tray of baked potatoes or a slab of rolled out pizza dough. Line up the toppings and let everyone make their own creation. Throw spring rolls in to that category of "activity dinner."

To start, you need rice wrappers. They seem scary. Thin, wispy...and the packaging is typically not in English. Luckily, you can now find them at most supermarkets with a decent selection of Asian ingredients

I've used a few different spring roll recipes. Recently I tried this one from Williams Sonoma. It had a great tip about layering TWO rice wrappers for a sturdier roll. GENIUS! Decide how many rolls you want or need. I made six rolls and cut them in half making 12 half rolls. Plenty for hubs and me to snack on throughout the evening.

Prep all the ingredients you need for your roll recipe. This takes a bit of time. Give a few people a chopping, dicing or peeling job and it will go faster. Organize your ingredients in a line by how you will add them to your roll. You will thank me for this. I'm an old pro (ha!) so I just piled mine up on a plate. (an upside down plate, sorry, I'm no computer expert!)

My recipe called for green lettuce (tender butter lettuce would have been better here), cucumber, avocado, carrots shredded (would have been better as small matchsticks), basil, and mint. Also good in spring rolls--cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeno, rice  noodles...sky is the limit. These were vegetarian but I like cooked shrimp in mine.

Fill a wide, shallow bowl with warm water. Lay a clean kitchen towel next to the bowl. Here is where things can get scary--be brave! See how the rice wrapper is hard and crunchy? You're about to give it a bath. 

Dip one rice paper round into the water for a few seconds to soften--about 20 seconds--then lay it flat on the towel. You want it to be the constancy of a wet paper towel. But not a wet tissue. Got that? Ha!

You might rip it but they are actually pretty forgiving. That's why I like the double wrapper idea. Dip a second wrapper into the water and lay it directly on top of the first one. Get ready to work quickly. 

For my recipe, I centered a lettuce leaf on top of the stacked rice papers. Starting about one-third in from the edge closest to you, arrange your herbs in a line across the lettuce. 

Top the greens with a small row of each of your veggies or meat. Here are my carrots, cucumbers and avocado. You don't need much so don't over stuff the roll.

Now, think burrito! Lift the bottom edge of the wrapper up and over the bottom third of the filling and then roll once tucking the veggies in.

Fold in the sides of the wrapper and continue rolling it and tucking it into a tight cylinder.

 Set aside, seam side down. They will start to dry out so another secret--cover them with a damp (not wet) kitchen towel or a few damp paper towels. You can even make these a few hours ahead if needed. Keeping them covered will keep everything fresh. When ready to serve, cut in half.

Keep stuffing, rolling and tucking and you'll get  a plate full of crisp, fresh, yums. 

The dipping sauce I made this time is actually miso dressing from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook “My Father’s Daughter." It's not for everyone, but everyone (every peanut eater) should love this peanut dipping sauce I've used several times from Chow.com. Like what you see here? Then please start with his recipe for shrimp summer rolls---my favorite to date.

I love getting friends and family in the kitchen. What is our favorite activity meal? Grilling? Cookie decorating?