Italian style chicken meatball soup

Serves 2 | Prep 30 min | Cook 25 min

Delicious chicken meatball soup to keep you feeling full and warm this winter without the worry of weight gain.

Ingredients

• Zucchini, 1 medium, grated
• Brown onion, 1 small, grated or finely chopped
• Chicken mince, raw, 250 g, breast
• Italian herbs, dried, 4 teaspoon(s)
• Parsley, 2 tablespoon(s), finely chopped
• Olive oil, 2 teaspoon(s)
• Celery, 2 stalk(s), diced
• Carrot, 1 medium carrot(s), halved, thinly sliced
• Salt reduced liquid stock, any flavour, 2 cup(s), e.g. chicken
• Tomatoes, diced, canned, any type, 1 x 400g can(s)
• Zucchini, 1 medium, halved, thinly sliced
• Cannellini beans, canned, drained, ⅓ cup(s), rinse
• Baby spinach, 1 cup(s), shredded

Method

1. To make the meatballs, squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini and half the onion. Add to a bowl with chicken mince, italian herbs and parsley. Mix well. Using 1 tablespoon mixture, per meatball, shape into 14 meatballs. Place on a tray, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes if time permits (you can make these ahead and leave in the fridge overnight).

2. Preheat oven 180°C fan forced. Heat a deep non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil and meatballs, cook, turning the meatballs for 2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a tray. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes or until cooked through.

3. To make the soup, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan. Add celery, carrot and the remaining half onion. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes. Bring to gentle boil, boil gently 5 minutes until soup thickens slightly.

4. Add the meatballs, zucchini and beans to the soup. Cook 5 minutes until zucchini is cooked through. Remove from the heat, stir in the spinach. Season and serve.

TIP: The soup will keep 3 days in the fridge, best reheated gently in a saucepan over medium to low heat.

Nutrition facts per serve | Makes 2 serves

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