Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta

Hello and welcome to Sunday Supper on Djalali Cooks. Today we have a great spring recipe, originally by Alison Roman. Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta is a rich and flavorful Brothy Meatball soup with fresh shelled peas, snap peas, delicate orzo, fennel and dill. Wonderfully fresh Spring flavors with rich, savory, meaty meatballs. To top it off, we have a cool and refreshing fennel and herb slaw for zing and crunch. Let’s get right to it!

Meatballs

We have Fennel three ways in this dish, which is such a great vegetable for Spring cooking. It has a clean, fresh flavor that really wakes up your palate. The first way we are incorporating fennel is in the meatballs; we have 1 tablespoon of dried fennel seeds going into the meatball mixture. Along with the fennel, we have diced onion, one beaten egg, greek yogurt, parsley, kosher salt and pepper. The meat mixture is up to you. I opted for a mix of 1 pound pork and 1 pound lamb. Lamb’s rich flavor works really well for this recipe.

In a large bowl, use your hands to mix the meatball ingredients until everything is well combined into a cohesive mixture. Be sure not to over-mix the meat mixture. Line a sheet tray with parchment to catch the portioned and formed meatballs. Then use a 1.5 to 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. You can then form the portioned meat into nice round balls with your hands. Be careful not to pack them too tightly into spheres. You should get about 20 meatballs.

Heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed or vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully add the meatballs, one at a time, to the heated oil. I was able to fit 12 meatballs in my Dutch oven. We want to be sure there is enough space around meatball to easily turn them with tongs, so don’t overcrowd the pot.

You can batch brown the meatballs, or you can do what I did and take this opportunity to make a a meal ahead and freeze the remaining meatballs. Now I have 8 meatballs to use for some other recipe, at another time.

Brown the meatballs in the hot oil, turning every few minutes to evenly brown all sides. Browning on all sides should take about 8 minutes or so. Then transfer the browned meatballs to a clean sheet tray. Cut the heat under the Dutch oven for the moment.

Building the Soup

Once you have the meatballs browned, go ahead and get the pasta water going. You can use orzo, or other small pasta. Or you can use a grain like farro, freekeh, bulgar or quinoa. Totally up to you! But let’s get that started now. We don’t need a lot, figure about 1/2-1 cup of cooked pasta or grain per serving.

Turn your attention back to the Dutch oven we browned the meatballs in. Turn the heat up to medium and add the thinly sliced fennel bulb, the sliced shallots, and sliced garlic to the pot. Season the veggies with Kosher Salt and pepper.

Sauté the veggies and aromatics, scraping up the browned bits from the meatballs, until the fennel is softened and is slightly browning, about 10-12 minutes. Lower the heat as needed to keep the fennel and aromatics from browning too quickly. Check your pasta water and cook the pasta or the grain according to package directions.

Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar, stir and bring to a low simmer. Add the meatballs back to the pot and let simmer for about 8 minutes.

Fennel and Herb Slaw

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the second sliced fennel bulb, dill and parsley with two tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside.

Pass the Peas!

After the meatballs have simmered with the broth for about 8 minutes, Add the shelled peas and sliced snap peas to the soup. Give it a good stir and let it simmer for about 1 minute. We only want the peas to lose their raw edge, but retain their snap.

Cut the heat and we’re ready to serve. Scoop a serving of your cooked and drained pasta or grain into each bowl.

Then ladle the meatballs and broth over the pasta. Top with some of the fennel and herb slaw. Finish off each bowl with a little flaky finishing salt and cracked black pepper.

This bowl of Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta is light, but richly flavored with the lamb and pork meatballs – which are tender and moist. The fresh green peas and the snap of the snap peas is super satisfying. I love the bright flavor of the fennel and the zing from the fresh fennel and herb slaw balances everything beautifully.

Thank you so much for joining me today for this Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta. It’s a great Spring recipe that really hits the spot on these slightly chilly Spring evenings. We do love meatballs at the Djalali house, and if you’re interested in checking out a couple of our favorites, visit Sheet Pan Sesame Glazed Meatballs or The Greatest Meatball Sub. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

Kitchen Items Used in This Recipe

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Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – American

By Adapted from Alison Roman – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~20 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta is light, but richly flavored; fresh snap peas add color and texture while a fennel and herb slaw brings the zing!

Ingredients

• Meatballs
• 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Parsley
• 3/4 cup Plain Whole-Milk Greek Yogurt
• 1 tbsp. Fennel Seeds
• 2 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Large Egg, beaten
• 2 lb. Ground Pork or Lamb (or combination of both)
• Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta
• 2 tbsp. (or more) Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 Large Shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 Small/Medium Fennel Bulbs, halved, cored, very thinly sliced lengthwise, divided (one for soup and one for slaw)
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 4 cups Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 3 tbsp. White Wine Vinegar, divided
• 1/2 cup Torn Dill
• 1/2 cup Parsley Leaves with tender stems
• 8 oz. Sugar Snap Peas, thinly sliced on a diagonal (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups Shelled Fresh (or frozen) English Peas
• 3 cups Cooked Orzo or Israeli Couscous, Farro, Freekeh, cooked and drained according to package directions
• Flaky Finishing Salt

Instructions

Meatballs

1

In a large bowl, use your hands to mix the meatball ingredients until everything is well combined into a cohesive mixture. Be sure not to over-mix the meat mixture. Line a sheet tray with parchment to catch the portioned and formed meatballs. Then use a 1.5 to 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. You can then form the portioned meat into nice round balls with your hands. Be careful not to pack them too tightly into spheres. You should get about 20 meatballs.

2

Heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed or vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Carefully add the meatballs, one at a time, to the heated oil. I was able to fit 12 meatballs in my Dutch oven. We want to be sure there is enough space around meatball to easily turn them with tongs, so don't overcrowd the pot.

3

You can batch brown the 20 meatballs in batches of 10, or save and freeze the meatballs that don't fit in the first round for another use.

4

Brown the meatballs in the hot oil, turning every few minutes to evenly brown all sides. Browning on all sides should take about 8 minutes or so. Then transfer the browned meatballs to a clean sheet tray.

Brothy Meatballs with Peas and Pasta

5

Add the thinly sliced fennel bulb, the sliced shallots, and sliced garlic to the pot. Season the veggies with Kosher Salt and pepper.

6

Sauté the veggies and aromatics, scraping up the browned bits from the meatballs, until the fennel is softened and is slightly browning, about 10-12 minutes. Lower the heat as needed to keep the fennel and aromatics from browning too quickly.

7

Add 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and two tablespoons of white wine vinegar, stir and bring to a low simmer. Add the meatballs back to the pot and let simmer for about 8 minutes.

8

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the second sliced fennel bulb, dill and parsley with two tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside.

9

After the meatballs have simmered with the broth for about 8 minutes, Add the shelled peas and sliced snap peas to the soup. Give it a good stir and let it simmer for about 1 minute. We only want the peas to lose their raw edge, but retain their snap.

10

Cut the heat and we're ready to serve. Scoop a serving of your cooked and drained pasta or grain into each bowl.

11

Then ladle the meatballs and broth over the pasta. Top with some of the fennel and herb slaw. Finish off each bowl with a little flaky finishing salt and cracked black pepper.