Meatball, Potato and Kale Soup

Soup season lasts a long time here in Michigan, so it’s nice to keep a wide variety of soup recipes at the ready for when those cold months start. Soups are one of my favorite meals to prepare because the leftovers are so good and it’s easy to add a ton of veggies. This dish has a cheesy tomato broth with caramelized meatballs, veggies and chunks of creamy Yukon gold potatoes. This is definitely a meal all on it’s own, but you could also serve this with some whole grain bread on the side for dipping. If you can’t find chicken meatballs, I would suggest replacing them with one package of Italian chicken sausage (diced).

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add quartered meatballs and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.

3. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, milk, Italian seasoning, pepper, diced tomatoes, cheese rind and browned meatballs and stir to combine. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

4. Stir in kale and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove cheese rind if there’s any remaining in the pot. Ladle soup into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan.

Meatball, Potato and Kale Soup

Serves 6

All you need:

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 (12 ounce) package precooked chicken meatballs (I used the caramelized onion flavor), quartered

1 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, diced

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 parmesan cheese rind

6 kale leaves, stemmed and torn into small pieces

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

All you do:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add quartered meatballs and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the pot. Add onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and stir to combine.
3. Add the potatoes, chicken broth, milk, Italian seasoning, pepper, diced tomatoes, cheese rind and browned meatballs and stir to combine. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in kale and cook for 10 minutes longer. Remove cheese rind if there’s any remaining in the pot. Ladle soup into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan.