herb & chicken meatball soup . . . a Spring and Summer soup

I'm so excited to share this simple recipe with you!

It's light and delicious . . . and so easy to prepare!

My herb and chicken (or turkey) meatballs are light and tender . . . and full of fresh herbs.

Although soup typically reminds me of a Fall and Winter dish, this one tastes and smells like Spring and Summer. I think it's because of all the fresh herbs. They really add a brightness to the dish.

And because you cook the meatballs in the broth instead of baking, sauteing, or broiling them . . . they finish so tender that they practically melt in your mouth.

As always, I recommend making your own stock and using it as the base for this soup. It adds an incredible flavorful base for which to simmer these meatballs. You can see how I make mine, here.

And if you love lemon, add a SPLASH of fresh squeezed lemon juice to the broth right before serving.  YUM!

Serve with your favorite garlic bread and 

Enjoy!

Here's what you need . . . 
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons dill, chopped *optional
2 Tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
8 cups home-made chicken broth
Chives, chopped *garnish

Preparation
Heat 8 cups of home-made chicken stock on medium-high heat in a large pot. Turn heat down to a simmer once it begins to boil. Cover.

Saute carrots, celery, and shallot in 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until caramelized and tender.
Spoon vegetables into simmering broth.

In the same saucepan, saute finely chopped onion until caramelized and tender. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix ground chicken, Panko, caramelized onion, chopped dill/parsley/and basil, egg, Parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper.

Using a small scoop, form 1-inch balls. Gently drop in simmering broth for 5 to 7 minutes.

Ladle broth and meatballs into bowl. Garnish with chopped chives. Enjoy!

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I love reading your comments and appreciate them so much!

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Stephanie Lynn, It's Overflowing, Twelve O Eight, Carrie This Home, Baking in Pajamas, Huckleberry Love, Dwellings, Smart Party Planning,  The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, Lori's Culinary Creations, Home Stories, StoneGable, An Extraordinary Day, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, Karen's Up on the Hill, Three Kids and a Fish, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Tumbleweed Contessa, A Stroll Thru Life,, Life With Garnish. Elizabeth & Co, Home Remedies,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, The Recipe Critic, Janine Huldie, Carolyn's Homework,  Fluster Buster   Designs by Miss Mandee,  Craftie Allie,  Wednesday morning The Blissful Bee,  The Newlywed Pilgrimage,  Chic California, Lamberts Lately, Live Laugh Rowe, The Charm of Home, From My Front Porch to ours, Delightsome Life., Posed Perfection, Katherine's Corner, Nancherrow, The Freshman Cook,  Jann Olson, Home  Maid Simple, Anderson + Grant,  Rooted in Thyme, Everyday Enchanted Home, Sunflower Supper Club

curried pumpkin & wild rice soup

 

My husband cleaned out the pantry in an effort to make room for our waffle iron a few days ago; and while he was moving things around he noticed that I had extra cans of pumpkin.

Well, by the time he finished organizing a few of the selves, he brought me 10 cans of pumpkin.

TEN cans! Really? . . . Ten?

I remember buying more than usual last Fall, out of fear that I wouldn't be able to find any by Thanksgiving. (Yes, that actually happened to me a few years ago!)

Apparently, I bought a few too many . . . and so inspired this curried pumpkin soup.

It's soup season, so I turned to my personal cookbook and found one of my favorite curried soup recipes.  

It's so easy to prepare . . . and flavorful, too!

  

The homemade 'curry paste' and canned pumpkin make up the base of this warm spiced and tender sweet velvety soup . . . and the simple additions (like rice, peanuts, and chicken or medium-boiled eggs) add to its heartiness. 

Although this recipe calls for wild rice, I had black rice on hand - so that's what I used. I love it's hearty, chewy texture in soups and stews.

You can also add shredded chicken, but I prefer adding sliced medium-boiled eggs.  It might sound strange, but it's delicious!

Our Indian friends make a version of this soup with hard-boiled eggs, and we love it. 

So if you have an extra can, or two, of pumpkin sitting in your cupboard . . . consider making curried pumpkin soup for your family.  It's a delicious way to keep warm!

'Tis the season for soup!

curried pumpkin & wild rice soup

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1/2 cup wild rice blend

1 Tablespoon golden or dark raisins

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup roasted cashews, almonds or peanuts, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish

Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

fresh cilantro, chopped

4 medium-boiled eggs (optional)

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Preparation

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice, and simmer until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Strain and let cool.

Pulse 1/4 cup of the nuts, 3 Tablespoons vinegar, 1 Tablespoon raisins, 2 Tablespoons water, tomato paste, curry powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a food processor until a coarse paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the coarse paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the oil begins to separate and the paste is brick red, 6 to 8 minutes. Add splashes of water if the paste sticks to the bottom of the pan at all.

Add the chicken broth, pumpkin puree, and 1 cup water, and whisk until blended. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally, and continue simmering until the soup has reduced and is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt, and stir in about 3/4 of the cooked wild rice.

Divide the hot soup among 4 soup bowls. Top each with some of the remaining rice and 1/4 cup cashews, pepper flakes, fresh cilantro, and quartered medium-boiled eggs (*optional).

How to make medium boiled eggs . . .

Put the eggs in a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. Set the pan over medium-high heat and as soon as the water reaches a brisk simmer, start timing. As the eggs cook, adjust the heat as needed to maintain a brisk simmer. (Though we talk about boiling eggs,  the fact is that cooking eggs in boiling water cracks the shell and makes the eggs tough and rubbery. A brisk simmer works much better.)

For medium boiled . . . briskly simmer eggs for 4-1/2 minutes. The yolk will be solid but still dark orange-yellow, moist, and dense in the middle. Beautiful and delicious quartered on a salad or in soup.

Come by for another great recipe using canned pumpkin, here. 

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Simply Suzannes at Home

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Stephanie Lynn, It's Overflowing, Twelve O Eight, Carrie This Home, Baking in Pajamas, Huckleberry Love, Dwellings, Smart Party Planning,  The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, Lori's Culinary Creations, Home Stories, StoneGable, An Extraordinary Day, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Rustic Refined,  Tumbleweed Contessa, A Stroll Thru Life,, Life With Garnish. Elizabeth & Co,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, The Recipe Critic, Janine Huldie, Carolyn's Homework,  Fluster Buster   Designs by Miss Mandee,  Craftie Allie,  Wednesday morning The Blissful Bee,  The Newlywed Pilgrimage,  Chic California, Lamberts Lately, Live Laugh Rowe, Sweet Bella Roos, The Charm of Home, From My Front Porch to ours, Delightsome Life., Posed Perfection, Katherine's Corner, Nancherrow, The Freshman Cook,  Jann Olson, Home  Maid Simple, Anderson + Grant,  Rooted in Thyme, Everyday Enchanted Home, Pure Grace Farms A Dish of Daily Life, Bacon Time, Sunflower Supper Club, Tater Tots and Jello,  Cooking with Curls, Made from Pinterest, Simply Gloria

farro & sausage stew . . . a Fall evening with friends

We recently hosted friends for a casual Fall-inspired dinner.

I don't know about you, but my favorite way to entertain in the Fall is by serving big, warm pots of soups, stews, and chilies FAMILY STYLE . . . rustic loaves of fresh breads . . . all in a comfortable, Fall-inspired setting.

For our Fall evening gathering, I served Farro & Sausage Stew and Artisan Rosemary bread FAMILY STYLE on our kitchen island. I stacked white bowls, linen napkins, and spoons on a large wooden board for ease and convenience.

And to create a fun and festive setting, I stacked a few of beautiful Cinderella pumpkins, and then tucked kale between them . . . for a sort of kale collar (say that 5 times!).  I had extra fresh thyme and rosemary, so I placed a few bunches here and there around our food, and it smelled heavenly.

Here's a peak at our evening . . . and a recipe for a delicious Fall and Winter soup!

These chocolate short-bread cookies are so good. They taste a lot like French Chocolate Sables . . . yum! We enjoyed them with pumpkin ice cream after dinner. I hope to share the recipe soon!

our menu

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farro & sausage stew

artisan roasted garlic and rosemary bread

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ice-cold Bundaberg Sarsaparilla

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pumpkin shaped chocolate short-bread cookies with pumpkin ice cream

I've shared a few of my favorite soups and chili recipes on this blog, like here, here, and here . . . and I have a new one to share with you today . . . farro & sausage stew!

Whole-grain FARRO is the star of this hearty soup. Have you ever tried it?

It's a wheat berry that's high in fiber, protein, and nutrients. It's nutty and full-flavored, with an appealing chewy texture. FARRO certainly gives soups and stews a 'hearty' factor.

Fine Cooking shared great nutritional information on this ancient variety of wheat, here.

Since it can be somewhat hard to find, I want to share two sources that might help you find this WHOLE-GRAIN wonder . . . .

Bob's Red Mill is a brand commonly seen in most markets now, and sells packaged FARRO for approximately $5.49/bag, OR . . .

                you can also find WHOLE-GRAIN farro in the bulk buy bins section in your market. I prefer to buy it this way, since I don't cook with it very often.  Buying from bulk bins also allows you to buy smaller quantities, which is great . . . and costs less, too. I can buy 3 cups of FARRO for approximately $2.25.

Please note that this recipe calls for WHOLE-GRAIN farro, not pearled. I chose to use whole-grain because it's more nutritious, but with that extra nutrition comes a LONGER cooking time.  

So let's talk about this soup  . . . stew . . .

Besides that it's full of healthy ingredients, it's also a delicious, clean-tasting, and hearty.

The spicy Italian sausage adds a little punch of heat . . . the kale and fresh thyme gives freshness . . . and the FARRO - a yummy, chewy nuttiness.  The combination yields a delicious and healthy soup.

Another thing that made this soup/stew extra special was that I used home-made broth. You can see my recipe for it here.

Oh my heavens, and adding ribbons of shaved fresh pecorino-romano takes it to a whole new level of creamy yumminess! A must when you make this soup!

farro & sausage stew

serves 4

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1 cup WHOLE-GRAIN (not pearled) farro
good olive oil

8 ounces hot Italian sausage (about 2 links), casings removed

4 cloves garlic, sliced

5 cups chicken stock (*home-made, if possible)

1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped (about 4 cups)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

SHAVED pecorino-romano for garnish!!

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Preparation

In a large, heavy saucepan, cover the farro with a couple inches of water. 

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, salt the water and simmer gently until the farro is tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. 

Cook the sausage, breaking it up, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the garlic until golden, 2 minutes. Add the stock; bring to a simmer. Stir in the farro and kale and simmer until the kale is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Return the sausage to the pan and stir in the thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Divide the stew among bowls, top with the shavings of pecorino-romano and drizzle with olive oil.

Cheers, to cozy Fall evening with friends!

LET'S STAY in touch!

Simply Suzannes at Home

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Sharing with . . . .

Stephanie Lynn, It's Overflowing, Twelve O Eight, Carrie This Home, Baking in Pajamas, Huckleberry Love, Dwellings, Smart Party Planning,  The Dedicated House, Mod Vintage Life, Lori's Culinary Creations, Home Stories, StoneGable, An Extraordinary Day, I'm Not a Trophy Wife, Between Naps on the Front Porch, Rustic Refined,  Tumbleweed Contessa, A Stroll Thru Life,, Life With Garnish. Elizabeth & Co,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, The Recipe Critic, Janine Huldie, Carolyn's Homework,  Fluster Buster   Designs by Miss Mandee,  Craftie Allie,  Wednesday morning The Blissful Bee,  The Newlywed Pilgrimage,  Chic California, Lamberts Lately, Live Laugh Rowe, Sweet Bella Roos, The Charm of Home, From My Front Porch to ours, Delightsome Life., Posed Perfection, Katherine's Corner, Nancherrow, The Freshman Cook,  Jann Olson, Home  Maid Simple,  Rooted in Thyme, Everyday Enchanted Home, Pure Grace Farms A Dish of Daily Life, Bacon Time, Sunflower Supper Club, Tater Tots and Jello,  Cooking with Curls, Made from Pinterest, Simply Gloria