Soup Saturday: Homemade Bone Broth & Chicken Meatball Veggie Soup

It’s #SoupSaturday, my favorite day of the week. It’s no secret that the turkey meatball soup we included in the very first soup recipe roundup this month is one of the big favorites in the EHD office. We were all inspired by the same initial recipe (via the Savory Lotus), but now we’ve each taken the recipe in a thousand different directions. It’s the soup that many of us have said “Yup, I could eat this every day” about. It’s the soup that can be dressed up or down, mixed up depending on what veggies are in season (or in your fridge), and keep us all full and happy. Today we’re bringing you another meatball soup variation packed with bright veggies, all swimming in a flavorful broth.

Also, to all our friends across the pond (and our neighbors to the north), we’ve heard you on the measurements! We concede that the American/imperial system of cups can be…confusing (is it 1 cup of carrots cut in large chunks or small chunks? Is it okay if some stick out over the edge? NO ONE KNOWS!). So we’ve done our best to add weight measurements to our second recipe (the first one isn’t so exact).

Not only are we bringing you a new soup recipe this week, we’re also going to share with you all how to make bone broth from scratch—the base for ALL my soups. It sounds intimidating (at least it did to me), but trust me, once you savor your own homemade bone broth, the store stuff just won’t taste the same. Am I a super organized person who always has homemade bone broth on hand for my weekly soup making? Nope. I’ll use a boxed broth when I haven’t had the 8-16 hours it takes to boil my own broth. But when I do, I can really taste the difference and it’s totally worth it. I’ve been riffing off a recipe from Rebecca Katz’s Clean Soups cookbook, but have tweaked to my liking as I’ve done it more.

WHAT YOU NEED

Vegetables

• 6 unpeeled carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 unpeeled yellow onions, quartered
• 1 whole leek, cut into thirds
• 1 whole bunch celery, cut into thirds
• 4 unpeeled potatoes, quartered
• 2 unpeeled sweet potatoes, quartered
• 1 unpeeled garnet yam, quartered
• 5 unpeeled cloves garlic, halved
• 1/2 bunch fresh, flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (8-inch) strip kombu (edible kelp)
• Any other veggie scraps you’ve been hiding away in your freezer for just this very moment

Herbs & Spices

• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 4 whole allspice or juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Bones

• The carcass of 1 roasted chicken (I usually roast a chicken, use the meat separately, then save the carcass. I also discard most of the skin to make a less fatty broth).

Liquids

• 8 quarts water (or enough to submerge all your ingredients)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

HOW TO COOK IT

1. In a large stockpot (we linked to some good ones in last week’s recipe post), combine all your ingredients and add water until everything is submerged, cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and using a mesh ladle to skim the surface of your soup.
3. Keep partially covered and simmer on low for 8-16 hours. The water will begin to evaporate, so keep an eye on the pot and add more if any of your chicken carcass or vegetables start making an appearance above the surface.
4. Once you feel your veggies and carcass have given all they can give (or you’ve let everything hang out together in the simmering broth for at least 8 hours), use tongs to fish out the bigger pieces of carcass. Then switch to a slotted spoon to scoop out the bigger pieces of veggie matter. Finally, strain your broth, discarding any of the leftover mush or carcass.
5. Salt to taste! Let cool at room temperature then store in airtight containers in the fridge overnight. The next day, you’ll be able to skim even more fat off the top of the cooled soup. Now it’s ready to be transformed into delicious soups and stews (or freeze for use later when you’re ready for it).

And now that you’ve created a true labor of love—homemade bone broth—it’s time to put that savory broth into action. I highly recommend using it to make this meatball soup variation, which serves about six heaping bowls of soup (8 if you’re not starving monsters like me and my staff):

WHAT YOU NEED

For Broth

Vegetables

• 1 small head (265g) cauliflower, chopped (we mixed yellow and purple cauliflower for this soup)
• 1 cup (150g) rainbow carrots, sliced thin
• 1 head lacinato kale (stems removed), hand torn
• 1 8-ounce package (227g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup (225g) celery, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 leeks (bottom white half), chopped

Herbs & Spices

• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 bundle of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary), tied together and removed before serving
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Liquids

• 8 cups (64oz or 2 quarts) bone broth
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon

For Meatballs

• 1 lb. (454g) ground chicken (a few readers commented that we try chicken instead of turkey for a moister meatball!)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1 cup (30g) finely chopped spinach (optional, but it’s just an extra way to sneak in more greens)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (for browning)

HOW TO COOK IT

1. In a large stock pot, brown leeks in choice of oil to release flavor (3 mins on medium).
2. Add in carrots, celery, and garlic stirring regularly, being careful not to burn garlic (3-5 mins).
3. Add bone broth, herbs, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer until all your veggies are tender.
4. While that warms up, mix your meatballs (all ingredients) in a medium mixing bowl.
5. When the broth is boiling, saute all sides of meatballs in avocado oil on your stovetop until just brown, then gently drop the meatballs (which won’t be fully cooked at this point) into the boiling broth.
6. Add the cauliflower, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. Boil until everything is cooked through (about 20-30 minutes. The meatballs should be cooked through by then, just be sure to check they are 165 F if you have a meat thermometer).
7. When everything is done cooking, quickly stir in the kale (or spinach) and allow the soup to boil for approximately 1-2 more minutes so the greens can cook down.
8. Remove from heat and serve! I like a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, fresh parsley and an extra squeeze of lemon to finish.

If you’re into this soup movement and desperate for more than one recipe a week, may we suggest some of our favorite soup cookbooks below? These are the books that EHD team members and I are reaching for time, and time again.

Eating Well Soups | The Simply Real Health Cookbook | The Ultimate Book of Soups and Stews | The Soup & Bread Cookbook | Clean Soups | The Pho Cookbook