Chicken Meatball Asparagus Soup

10 TB olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lg. bunch asparagus, thinly sliced, washed and tough lower stems removed
5 leeks, thinly sliced, whites only
6 cups fresh or canned chicken broth
1 lb. ground chicken
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add 3 TB olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until light brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add asparagus and leeks. Sauté another 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the ground chicken with salt and pepper. Make small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter. In a large skillet, heat 6-7 TB of olive oil and fry meatballs until browned on all sides. Add the meatballs to the soup.

Juli's notes:  Use butter instead of olive oil to brown vegetables. Also double recipe. Cook meatballs in an electic fry pan at 250 degrees.


Submitted by Juli