Lemongrass Soup With Mini Chicken Meatballs

The Meatballs:

1 Large Egg
¾ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 ½ teaspoons “minced” garlic
1 small “finely chopped” onion
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup Italian Parsley
½ cup fresh “white” bread crumbs (chopped in food processor)
1 pound ground chicken
Fresh cracked pepper

The Soup:

12 cups low sodium chicken broth
10 ounces Chinese noodles
1 ½ teaspoons red pepper chili flakes
1 ½ tablespoons dried lemongrass
1 ½ tablespoons dried ginger
1 cup “thinly sliced” mushrooms
1 ½ cups “thinly sliced” carrots
1 cup “thinly sliced” green onions
1 ½ tablespoons “low sodium” soy sauce or Tamari Sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 whole star anise
1 or 2 limes – cut into wedges

Make Meatballs First: Stir all ingredients together, except for the ground meat and cheese. Now, blend in the meat and cheese; incorporating slowly. Using a teaspoon, shape the mixture into meatballs of approximately 1 inch in diameter. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet or ceramic dish until ready to use; they also may be made ahead of time and refrigerated until needed.

For the Noodles: Cook the noodles per the package’s instructions (approximately five minutes). Then, rinse before adding them to the soup.

For the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a medium to large pot (or Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add meatballs and chili pepper flakes and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Now, stir in (gently) the dried ginger and lemongrass before cooking for another minute or two. Finally, stir in mushrooms, green onion, star anise, fish sauce, carrots, low sodium soy (or Tamari) sauce and add the noodles. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Diva Tip:

• Serve with lime wedges on the side; squeeze juice into the soup for added flavor.