Enjoy the comforting flavors of this lovely lamb meatball and kale soup, served with crusty buttered bread! Prepare the meatballs to add to the soup with kale, red bell pepper, sweet onion, and orzo pasta in a delectable chicken bone broth with dry white wine.
Browned Lamb Meatballs with Orzo Pasta and Kale
For the Meatballs:
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces ground lamb or simple lamb sausage
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Soup:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ cup of dry white wine
3 cups of chicken bone broth
1 cup of orzo pasta
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix together the egg, lemon zest, fennel, and garlic in a large bowl. Put the ground lamb in the bowl, and season it aggressively with salt and pepper. (The meatballs in this recipe can also be made with Chef Alex Pope’s Simple Lamb Sausage!) Add the bread crumbs and combine the mixture well. Shape the meat into balls that are a little smaller than golf balls. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the meatballs, spacing evenly. Cook, turning once or twice, until the meatballs are well browned, approximately 5 to 7 minutes, then set meatballs aside.
In the same Dutch oven, add olive oil and chopped onion. Cook onions until soft. Add the dry white wine and deglaze the pan. Next, add the kale and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, red peppers, lamb, and bay leaf. Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the lamb meatballs are done and the pasta is al dente.
Serve warm with crusty bread and butter.
