Chicken and Rice Meatball Soup...

 

Since it has been ridiculously cold where I am, I decided to make some soup. Soup has to be one of my favorite dishes to make.

I love that you can pretty much throw whatever ingredients you want into the soup pot. So, so, so easy!

Who doesn't love an easy recipe!?!

Creamy soups are what I'm drawn to, but since I'm trying to be all healthy, a brothy soup is really the best choice. Not to worry though.... it is still full of flavor. For me brothy soups are also very comforting.

There's nothing like a bowl of soup to make things better. Especially when it's freezing outside or raining constantly. Which in my case... are both!

This weather is sure making me miss Hawaii!


Chicken and Rice Meatball Soup

For the broth:

• 1-2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Large Carrots, Peeled and Diced
• 4-6 Celery Stalks with the leaves, Cleaned and Diced
• 1 Large White Onion, Diced
• A Pinch, Salt
• A Pinch, Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground or Rubbed Sage
• 2 (32 oz.) Containers of Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth                                                          

For the Meatballs:

• 1 Pound Ground Chicken
• 1/4 Cup Uncooked Long Grain Rice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
• 2 (32 oz.) Containers of Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth                                                          

In a large Dutch Oven or soup pot, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the diced carrots, celery, onion, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and the sage. Cook until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, uncooked rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, garlic powder, and parsley flakes. Roll into 1 inch or so, sized meatballs. 

Once the chicken broth has come to a boil, carefully add the meatballs to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer the soup for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Makes 6-8 cups.

Enjoy!

Turkey and Sun Dried Tomato Meatballs...

 

I usually don't cook with ground turkey... I'm a ground beef kind of girl. The last time I made turkey meatballs I put WAY too much salt in them and they were horrible. Yeah, we pretty much spit them out after one bite and into the trash they went. Not my best cooking moment.

Cooking with ground turkey is a little tricky, for me anyway. You have to make it flavorful and add ingredients that will make it very moist, or it will come out dry... at least that's my experience. Hence, I developed a ground turkey phobia, seriously...... I did.

Well, I decided to conquer my phobia and this time around, I thought I'd brown the meatballs in olive oil and make a sauce they could bake in. In hopes that they wouldn't dry out. The results......

...... it worked!

I was very pleased when these came out of the oven tasting delish! Most of the recipes I cook are tried and true family recipes...... and now I'm trying to develop my own recipes. It's a lot of fun, but can be a little frustrating at times.

I was excited to see that this recipe was one of five recipes featured on Tasty Kitchen last Friday...... yay! Thank you Tasty Kitchen!

One cooking phobia down and...... well, a few more to go.


Turkey and Sun Dried Tomato Meatballs

FOR THE MEATBALLS:

• 1-½ pound Ground Turkey
• ⅓ cups Italian Style Bread Crumbs
• ¼ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ½ teaspoons Pepper
• 1-½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
• ½ cups Sun Dried Tomatoes In Their Oil, Chopped
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ cups Flour (for Dredging)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Flour
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• ½ cups Sun Dried Tomatoes In Their Oil, Chopped
• 1-½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Pepper

For the meatballs:

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, parmesan, pepper, parsley, sun dried tomatoes, and egg. Mix until just combined. Loosely roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Place in a large baking dish, cover, and chill in the refrigerator to firm up for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F).
Once firm, dredge the meatballs in the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan on medium heat and brown the meatballs. Place the browned meatballs in a large baking dish.

For the sauce:

Leaving the skillet or pan on the stove, add the butter and oil. Whisk in the flour, combining well. Add the chicken stock and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the the heavy cream. Add the tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper. Whisk and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes, just enough so the sauce thickens a little. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the meatballs are done. Makes 16 meatballs. Serve with pasta or on their own with one or two side dishes.

Enjoy!

I'm linking this post up to Mouthwatering Mondays. Head on over to check out all the great links!

Albondigas Soup...



  Let me start off by saying that this soup is one of my very favorites... seriously, it is. The Rusten House, a family run Mexican restaurant in my hometown, serves it as a starter dish. Growing up, I ate dinner there with my family about once a week from the time I was a little girl until I left home. When I go home and visit we always hit up the Rusten House... always. To this day, the waiter still remembers my order. Alright, I do get the same thing every time... albondigas soup and cheese enchiladas with rice and beans, so that's probably why he remembers. But I still think it's amazing.

Something I don't think are amazing...... piñatas.

Let me diverge for a moment.

Listen, I know they are supposed to be fun and you get loads of candy, but I have never liked them. Even as a child. I dreaded the piñata at my cousins birthday parties. DREADED.

We would wait in line to be blindfolded, spun around until we were dizzy, and given a wooden stick to beat down a paper mâché cartoon character. All the while, my grandpa who maned the piñata, would move the piñata up and down on a rope so you would miss the thing.... on purpose.... then laugh!

This is why I have never had a piñata at one of my girls birthday parties... even though they have begged... and pleaded...

I know, I know... your thinking I'm a little too sensitive. Your right, I need to get over my piñata phobia.

And I will...... eventually. It's just still too fresh.

Anyway, lets recap. What I think is amazing... Albondigas Soup and the Rusten House waiter remembering my order. Not so amazing... piñatas at birthday parties.

So, here ya go... my version of an amazing soup.

Albondigas Soup

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, cleaned and diced
• 4 stalks of celery, cleaned and diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 quarts of water (12 cups)
• 10 beef bullion cubes
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/3 cup of uncooked long grain rice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons of salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon of pepper, divided
• 1 teaspoon of season salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add the water and the beef bullion cubes. Bring to a boil.

In the meantime, combine the ground beef, rice, remaining salt and pepper, season salt, oregano, and egg in a medium bowl.  Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. With your hands, gently roll the ground beef mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. This makes about 15 meatballs.

Once the soup has come to a boil, drop the meatballs in and cover. Lower the heat to medium low and let the soup simmer for about an hour or until the rice in the meatballs is cooked. Makes 6 servings.

Enjoy!

I'm linking this amazing recipe up to the Tidy Mom and Dine and Dish Soup-a-Palooza!

Come join Soup-a-Palooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by Bush’s Beans, Hip Hostess, Pillsbury and Westminster Crackers.

Printable Recipe here on Tasty Kitchen

Yours Truly... the piñata hater.