thai chicken meatball soup

let’s all take a collective deep breath in (maybe the biggest breath of your week/month?) aaaand let it go. I don’t know the right things to say, or the useful things to say, but i do know that this is hard and surreal and restless and scary and whatever you’re doing to navigate and get through is O. K. A. Y.

maybe you’re now the sort of person who takes walks every day! or has embarked on finishing a 1,000 piece puzzle! or perhaps you’re taking a tour-de-world through wine? maybe you’ve cleaned out cupboards and cabinets, organized drawers, scrubbed tile til it sparkles. are you reading? what are you reading? maybe you’re spending afternoons staring listlessly at the ceiling while the office plays on loop, and you know what, that’s okay too. are you cooking? baking banana bread? do you need a hug? i’m sending you one from here.

this soup feels like a big, cozy hug, and i think we can all use a little warming from the inside out right now. if you don’t have these ingredients on-hand or groceries are hard to come by, don’t sweat it. you can swap out meats, veggies, broth, sugars, herbs - make this your own however you’re able to. it’s a tiny thing, but I hope it helps, however you need <3

thai chicken meatball soup
makes: 4 servings
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 25 minutes

1lb ground chicken (any ground meat will do; cooking time may vary)
1 scallion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced + divided
1tbsp fresh ginger, divided
1/2 an onion, diced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
3tbsp red thai chili paste
1 can full-fat coconut milk
4c chicken stock
2tbsp coconut aminos (soy sauce works here, too)
1tbsp honey or coconut sugar
2c fresh spinach (you can use kale, frozen spinach, broccoli, or skip altogether)
1c peas (I like to use frozen)
1/2c fresh basil, sliced (cilantro works here, too)
juice of 1 lime
1tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2tsp salt, divided
1tsp black pepper, divided
rice for serving, optional (I used a combo of white and brown because that’s what I had on-hand!)
sliced scallions, lime wedges, and extra basil for serving, optional

mix the chicken with scallions, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2tbsp ginger, salt, and pepper to taste. roll the mixture into 14-18 meatballs, and set aside.

heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium high. gently nestle the meatballs into the pot, and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, rotating every few minutes (work in batches if necessary so you don’t overcrowd your pot.)

once the meatballs are cooked, remove from the pot. add the onion, bell pepper, the remainder of the garlic and ginger, and chili paste. sauce for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften. then, add the coconut milk, broth, coconut aminos, and honey. bring to a simmer, and add the meatballs back into the pot.

simmer for 10 minutes, then add the spinach, peas, basil, and lime juice. simmer the soup for another 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

serve over rice, quinoa, noodles - whatever you’ve got.