Hey guys, this edition of the soup series is suuuuper easy, delicious and the brothy base makes it a healthy choice too! I make this a lot when chicken noodle soup sounds good but we want to spice it up a little.
What You Need
- 1 bag of meatballs – I love the Italian Style large bag (26 oz) from Rosina – they have excellent flavor. You could also make your meatballs from scratch, but let’s be honest – who has time for that?!
- 1 box (48 oz) of Chicken stock
- Use the empty chicken stock box and fill it with water to add as well
- 1 box orzo (you could us any small pasta)
- 3 stalks of celery chopped
- 3 large carrots chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 3-4 handfuls of spinach
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes – if you like it spicy, add more!
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Olive oil
First I brown the meatballs from frozen just to get some color on them and enhance the flavor (maybe 5 minutes). Next up, add your celery, onion, carrot, garlic and mix everything together. Saute everything until the veggies start to get fork-tender. Add the chicken stock, water, lemon juice and spices and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes. While this is simmering – cook the orzo using the box instructions in a separate pot. Add your spinach about 10 minutes before serving – as it only needs a few minutes to cook!
Tip: We always cook our pasta for soups separate from the actual soup, because pasta (especially orzo) tends to blow up if it sits in the broth too long. It gets mushy and just not good. You can just store the pasta in another container, and add as you would like. This is also nice if you’re watching your carb intake – you can have as much or little as you want!
We served our soup with a little side of garlic bread and some wine – and it was the perfect way to spend the evening. Enjoy!
Staying Martha 