Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 parsley stems, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
• 4 black peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Olive oil
• 6 links organic chicken-apple sausage meat
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 handful fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 pounds frozen cheese tortellini, store bought
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• 1.

  Watch how to make this recipe.

• 2.

  For the soup:

• 3.

  Set a large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, half the garlic, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and gently saute until fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, add parsley stems, black peppercorns and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer while you work on meatballs and tortellini.

• 4.

  For the meatballs:

• 5.

  Caramelize the diced onion in a saute pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, egg, onion, thyme, parsley, and cheese to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they all come together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil until just smoking. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop meatballs onto skillet. Cook, turning, until golden brown.

• 6.

  Drop tortellini straight from freezer into soup. Cook until they float. Once meatballs are browned, add to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Give soup a final seasoning and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of Parmesan, olive oil, and parsley.