Dr Tyler's Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Soup

Most of the country has probably phased out of "soup season," but here in San Diego we have a pesky little phenomenon called June Gloom. Though not too chilly, many of the June days in this otherwise eternally sunny city are spent overcast and gray. I am quite positive that those of you who've just emerged from months of tundra-like conditions do not have much sympathy!


Last week, we experienced a few of these gloomy days which coincided with hubby getting a bad cough. I happened to be flipping through Tyler Florence's Dinner at My Place and saw a recipe for Dr. Tyler's Chicken soup that Tyler claims can pull him from the depths of a miserable cold.

Tyler Florence is a magical kind of man, but now he can cure illnesses too? Amazing! His soup healing soup claim piggybacks on the belief of many, including scientists, that chicken soup can cure the common cold.


Whether it cured hubby or not, we decided that Dr. Tyler certainly did something right: this was one of our favorite soups we've made! We loved it so much that we made it for the second week in a row. Tonight's version shown above (used smaller tortellini and more carrots this time around).

A combination of apple chicken meatballs, tortellini, carrots, celery and a delicious herb broth make for a very tasty soup. For those of you not already in the thick of summer, I highly suggest trying this hearty and filling soup.

**If you haven't already, check out my giveaway post! You have until midnight on Thursday to win some tasty salsa!**

Dr. Tyler's Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Soup
Adapted lightly from Tyler's Dinner at My Place

Chicken Meatballs
4 links chicken apple sausage (uncooked) We ours from Henry's and they are BIG so if you have small ones, consider using a little more
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (about 2 slices bread)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus 2 extra tbsp for sprinkling

Soup
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 large carrots, cut in circles
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1 small zucchini, chopped
Kosher salt
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 pound refrigerated tortellini

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 black peppercorns

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare meatballs by combining chicken meat (discard casings), bread crumbs,milk, egg, parsley & 1/4 c. Parmesan in a large bowl. Mix well with hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roll meatballs and place on cooking sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle lightly with oil and sprinkle with 2 tbsp Parmesan. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

While meatballs are cooking, prepare the soup by heating a large stockpot over medium heat. Add a few rounds of olive oil to the pan, garlic, and thyme. Saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrot and celery. Continue to saute for about 4 minutes. Add zucchini and saute for another 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and peppercorns. Add bay leaf and parsley to the soup. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Once meatballs are cooked, drop them into the soup and add the tortellini. Allow soup to return to a boil and boil for several minutes or until tortellini are cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.