Spring may have arrived but nobody told Old Man Winter about it, at least not where I live. I had to scrape ice off my windshield yesterday morning and, judging from the time the furnace clicked on this morning, it’s cold out there again. At least we don’t have several feet of snow like some areas of the country. Despite the blooming daffodils and birds chirping in the leafless trees, it’s still soup weather around here.
Easter is early this year and although our local produce isn’t ready yet I found very nice spring vegetables in Whole Foods, and I couldn’t resist adding asparagus, leeks, peas and spinach to my shopping cart. If I am still making soup at least I can make a lighter version with the vegetables we wait for this time of year. I associate fresh peas and asparagus with Easter dinner because they were my mother’s favorites and were always on the dinner table for one of our favorite holidays. This soup recipe is from a past issue of Bon Appetit, is very light, and is full of the wonderful fresh flavors of Spring.
I have included ingredients for home made meatballs in the recipe (they are delicious), but I took a shortcut this time and made my meatballs with Aidell’s Chicken Apple sausage. I removed the casings, formed the chicken into small meat balls and sauteed them in olive oil. The apple flavor adds a nice, delicate sweetness to the soup. Before I made the soup I simmered the chicken stock with the lower halves of asparagus spears I didn’t use in the soup, spinach stems, extra parsley, chives, and 2 cloves of garlic for about 30 minutes. I strained it, seasoned it with salt and pepper and added it to the pot with the sauteed leeks.
With a little prep work this recipe goes together in minutes. Ingredients are added in the order of their needed cooking time and the whole process can be done in 15 minutes. Don’t restrict yourself to these vegetables. Experiment with what you find at your farmers’ market. The clear broth in this soup would show off the beautiful colors of rainbow chard or carrots and I know fennel would be delicious and so fragrant. I think I would like some basil and a hint of fresh mint as well.
- ¾ pound ground chicken
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, sliced into ½ inch rounds
- 6 cups chicken broth, preferable homemade
- ¾ cup small pasta - I used small elbow macaroni
- ½ pound asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
- ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
- 1-1/2 cups packed baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives, coarsely chopped
- Mix chicken, breadcrumbs,2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, chives, egg, salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Form into ½" diameter meat balls (makes about 24).
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook meatballs until golden brown all over, about 5 minutes.(They finish cooking in the soup). Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Add leeks to the pot, stirring occasionally until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and carrots; simmer until pasta is al dente, carrots are tender, and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Add peas and cook 1-2 more minutes. Adjust seasonings.
- Ladle into bowls. Garnish with chives and grated Parmesan cheese.
Your soup looks beautiful Cathy! They were giving little tasting samples of that sausage a couple weeks ago at the ShopRite, it was very good! Still cold here too, hopefully it will warm up soon:@)
Happier Than A Pig in Mud recently posted..Carrot Crosses for Deviled Eggs at Easter-Simple Tutorial
That look so good Cathy! I have been so very busy, but I am lurking about in blogland.
Hugs,
Kris
That soup looks good, I love meatballs in anything 🙂 I will try to send some of our gorgeous Arizona spring weather your way.
Rhonda recently posted..Crispy Onion Chicken
Looks really good Cathy and we must make it sometime, especially since it continues to be soup weather heare in East Tenn.
Larry recently posted..Humor – Yard Work
This looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for the little tips, such as simmering the asparagus ends for a bit. It all adds up to flavour!
We still have lots of snow on the ground so your delicious minestrone would be perfect. I never have added meatballs to my minestrone before but I will the next time.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Porchetta…An Italian Classic
A lovely & tasty soup with tasty looking chicken meatballs too! I love the different textures in your soup too! It is more like a filling meal! 🙂
Yummmm!
Sophie recently posted..Vegan rhubarb, pear chocolate chip crumbles!!!
Such a lovely soup Cathy, and I love the bowl too! I wish my small town store carried ground chicken, but I can sub turkey just fine.
Our weather is not so spring like too. It’s been snowing most of the day, but thankfully it is melting on the streets, so maybe tomorrow it will all be gone.
This sounds so good. We’re getting more snow tomorrow and Tuesday, actually most of the week…sigh…
No snow here but hot wet weather! I don’t mind cooking up this light soup too, easy to prepare:D
Jeannie recently posted..Low Fat Moist Carrot Cake
Such beautiful photos, Cathy…you soup looks so scrumptious. It would be perfect for tomorrow, with our 4″ of the white stuff predicted. *sigh* Hot soup will hit the spot.
Stay warm,
Rett
Rettabug recently posted..Happy National Quilting Month!
We’re having the same weather problem in reverse! Summer finished (officially) nearly a month ago, but we’re still having heatwaves down here!! The soup looks marvellous – if only it’d cool down enough, I’d give it a go!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..The “Daleks” of Khancoban
Very yummy Cathy! I don’t really care what the temperature is – I can eat a wonderful soup like this any time!
The Café Sucré Farine recently posted..Better than the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow! An Endless Supply of Fresh Basil for Pennies!
Cathy this is a truly wonderful looking soup. I would not have thought to add asparagus to it. The spinach adds all kinds of nutrients too.
Believe it or not, it’s occasionally still soup weather in Florida. Today it’s windy and that makes it feel cooler than it really is. Your soup just sings spring to me, plus I’m always in the mood for soup no matter what season.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Bistro Style Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burgers with a Port and Caper Sauce
That’s a great shortcut you took for the meatballs. And yes, it’s snowing here too, but your soup is a breath of springtime.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..Rosemary Flatbreads
the east coast didn’t get the memo that it’s spring either, brrrr! what a perfect soup for the weather we’re having, and i love the spring veggies!
teresa recently posted..S’mores Cookies
Your photos over all of the fresh vegetables is gorgeous! What a delightful soup for spring, Cathy. The chicken meatballs are the perfect, light addition.
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