Herby Lemon Soup with Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for your hands & drizzling

- 1 medium yellow onion, diced

- 3 medium stalks celery, chopped

- 4 oz mushrooms, diced

- 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped + extra for garnish

- 1 tbsp thyme

- 2 lemons, juiced, zested, and reserved

- 3 cups yellow potatoes, diced in 1 inch cubes

- 10 cups chicken stock

- 1 tbsp kosher salt

- 1 lb ground chicken or turkey ( dark meat preferred)

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan

- 1 tbsp black pepper

- 1 tsp kosher salt

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Directions:

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. When pot is warm, add 4 tbsp olive oil, onion, and celery. When onion is soft and translucent, add mushrooms and last 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until soft - an additional 5 minutes.

2. Add dill and thyme & mix to combine. Add potatoes, lemon, and lemon zest. Stir occasionally for 5 - 10 minutes to let the potatoes begin browning.

3. Pour in 10 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add 1 tbsp kosher salt and reduce to an aggressive simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. I also like to add in the reserved squeezed lemons to make the broth even more lemony.

4. In the meantime, prepare the meatballs by combining the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, dijon mustard, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Lightly oil hands, mix by hand, and roll into 1.5" - 2" meatballs. Prepare a large nonstick pan with a thin layer of oil turned to medium heat. When oil is hot, place meatballs in pan, spacing with 2" in-between each to insure even browning. Add meatballs to soup and maintain aggressive simmer uncovered for an additional 15 - 20 minutes.

5. Let soup cool off the burner for 10 minutes, drizzle with olive oil, and fresh dill. I also like to serve with reduced fat Greek yogurt and toasted, crusty bread.