Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Cut: Ground chicken

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1/2 cup (125 ml) onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (60 ml) Panko crumbs
2 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tsp (5 ml) dried parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) sea salt
½ tsp (2.5 ml) fresh cracked pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb (450 g) ground chicken

Soup:
2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry white wine
12 cups (2.8 L) chicken stock
1 cup (250 ml) small pasta (acini de pepi, orzo or tubitini )
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup (60 ml) minced fresh dill
1 package (300 g) baby kale or fresh spinach, washed and trimmed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F.

Meatballs:
In a large bowl, stir together the onion, garlic, Parmesan, Panko crumbs, parsley, salt, pepper, and egg until well mixed.  Stir in ground chicken.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape the chicken mixture into ½ inch meatballs (about 36 meatballs) and put them on the baking sheet. The meatballs do not have to be perfectly round and can be placed close together.

Bake meatballs for 30 minutes; set aside. (Cooked meatballs can be frozen to use later).

Soup:
In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir cook until tender, but not soft.

Add wine and chicken stock; bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer, and cook covered for 30 minutes. Add pasta and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste the soup and adjust salt and pepper. Stir in the dill and fresh kale or spinach and cook until just wilted (about 1 minute).

Ladle soup into bowls, top with more Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.

As seen on Great Tastes of Manitoba