#1,360: Meatball and Kale Soup

There are a few things I love about this recipe:
I has meatballs in it.
It's healthy and paleo-friendly.
There is no chicken broth so it's lower in sodium!

I loved this soup recipe, and the only thing I would do differently next time, is to make the meatballs much smaller.  I ended up cutting the meatballs in my bowl so they were smaller and incorporated throughout the sup more.  But other than that, I loved this.  Ok...I would also remove the stems of the spinach/kale/swiss chard that I used, but I was being lazy.  I found an organic baby spinach/kale/swiss chard mix at Sam's club, and I almost trimmed all of the stems, but decided against it.  I wish I would have.  I just don't love the stems when the spinach/lettuce is wilted.  

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1/2 tbsp. cumin

1/2 tbsp. coriander

1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. paprika

1 large can (28 oz.) whole, stewed tomatoes (I used a can of organic diced)

6 cups water

3 cups of kale, roughly chopped

3 cups of spinach, roughly chopped

salt to taste

Meatball Ingredients (makes about 1 dozen):

1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 egg

1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. fennel seeds (I omitted)

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 tbsp. salt

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

Combine the beef, egg, parmesan, and spices in a large bowl, and shape into 2" meatballs.  In a large frying pan, heat the oil and sear the meatballs on all sides, turning about every 3 minutes.  They don't need to be cooked completely through, but you want a good, flavorful crust.

While the meatballs are frying, dice and mince the onion, garlic, and jalapeno for the base of the soup.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil and cook the base (seasoned with salt) over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until soft.  Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, and paprika and stir.  Add the tomatoes, crushing them up, along with the juice from the can. 

Once the base of the soup is at a simmer, transfer the meatballs to the pot.  De-glaze the frying pan with a little water and add to the pot, to get all the flavorful crust from the meatballs into the soup.  Add the six cups of water and bring to a boil.

Taste the soup and season with salt, if needed, then add the kale and spinach.  As soon as the greens have cooked into the soup and it has returned to full heat, it is ready to be served.