Pasta Soup w/ Basil Chicken Meatballs and Kale

There is a food account on Instagram that is called Maxi's Kitchen.  I have tried several recipes and enjoyed each - this is one - and was not surprised to see she had released her first cookbook.  Most dishes she (and her mother) create are simple enough that us ordinary people trying to put good food on the table can make at home. No super hard to find ingredients or difficult techniques. I really loved her Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Sheet Pan Lasagna when I made it.  The crunchy bits were to die for. 

This time around I was inspired to try her mom’s pastina soup with basil chicken meatballs. I love soups - they are a comfort meal for me.  This one looked easy to make, I had all the ingredients on hand, and it allowed me to prep early and finish last minute.  A good thing, as at my normal start supper time I was driving my son and daughter in law to the airport.  

I learned a few things for the next time I make it - yes it is going into my list of soup recipes I keep on hand.  First, make the meatballs small. While I didn't make them huge, I made them larger than needed.  The broth is simple and mild, but not super flavorful on it's own. The meatballs are incredibly flavorful.  So making them small helps blend the 2 extremes. 

Second was the tiny Pastina pasta they used. Maybe 3/4 cup would work with the tiny pasta, but all I had was small pasta shells.  I upped the amount to 1-1/2 cups and that seemed about right. If you subbing a different kind of small pasta you may have to adjust the amount you add accordingly. I also didn't have Escarole, the substitute that was most recommended was Kale, and I always use sweet onions instead of yellow.

Below shows the recipe with my changes.  You can go to Maxi's Kitchen to see her original version. And while there, be sure to check out Maxi's IG page and debut cookbook. 

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Pasta Soup w/ Basil Chicken Meatballs and Kale

5 Servings

Ingredients - 

Meatballs

1 lb.                     Ground Chicken (thigh meat is best, juicier and more flavor)

1                           Large Clove Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 C                    Fresh Basil Leaves, finely chopped

1/4 C                    Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

1                           Large Egg

1/4 C                    Panko Breadcrumbs

3/4 tsp                  Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp                  Freshly Ground Pepper

2 T                       Olive Oil or Cooking Spray (to cook the meatballs

Soup

1 T                       Olive Oil

1/2                       Sweet, diced small

2 Cloves              Garlic, finely chopped

8 C                      Chicken Stock

1 tsp                     Kosher Salt

1-1/2 C                Smallest shell pasta /4 Cup Pastina Pasta (or sub small pasta of choice)

3 C                       Kale, chopped

2 T                       Fresh Parsley, finely chopped (I left this out)

Instructions - 

Preheat the oven to 400F convection (or 425F regular bake).

In a medium bowl, add the ground chicken, garlic, basil, grated parmesan, egg, panko breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Drizzle 2 T olive oil on a baking sheet or spray with cooking spray. Form meatballs that are 1 T each (slightly heaping - but keep them small) and place them on the baking sheet, rolling them in oil as you add them to the sheet. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the internal temp of the meatballs reaches 165F and the bottoms are browned. Watch them as mine cooked quickly and they were larger.  I like turning them over once to get a bit of brown on both sides. Option to broil the tops of the meatballs for 2-3 mins at the end to lightly brown them.

In a large pot preheated over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and the onion. Cook the onion for 3-4 mins until translucent and tender, then add the garlic. Cook for 1 min, then add the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium (so the water continues to boil gently) and add the pasta and meatballs. 

Cook uncovered for 6-8 mins (or according to pasta package directions) until the pasta is your desired tenderness, then add the escarole and turn off the heat. Cook the escarole in the residual heat for 1 min (it should turn bright green and retain a slight crunch), then stir in the parsley. Serve with freshly grated parmesan on top and enjoy!