Brimming with fresh fall vegetables, like kale and butternut squash, and meatballs flavored with fresh basil and Parmesan, this soup is one of my favorites. In this recipe, I prefer Tuscan kale for its crunch and bright green color, however, if you're unable to find it, any variety of kale will do. The finely chopped greens are added at the end of cooking, and wilt quickly into the soup, making cook time that much faster.
With grated Parmesan as a star ingredient in the meatballs, and the rind used to thicken the soup, it makes sense to offer it alongside. The recipe naturally makes a large amount and freezes beautifully. I encourage you to freeze leftovers.
Make the meatballs.
Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and use a fork to mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in refrigerator.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook 6-8 minutes, until softened. Take care to not brown.
Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and stir for about 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth, Parmesan rind and 1 teaspoon salt, and turn the heat up to medium high.
Once the soup is at a steady simmer, add the butternut squash. Return to a simmer and, working quickly, use your hands to shape the meat mixture into mini meatballs, roughly the size of a large grape. Drop the meatballs into the simmering soup as they are formed. You should end up with about 30 meatballs. If during the process of adding meatballs to the soup, the stock simmers too vigorously, turn down so that it simmers gently.
Once all the meatballs have been added to the soup, turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove lid and stir the soup well. Replace the cover and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until the meatballs are just cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
Stir in the white beans. Top the soup with the kale, then baby spinach, and 1 teaspoon salt. Do not stir. Return the lid, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, and let the soup sit, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes.
Remove lid, stir wilted greens into the soup, and taste for seasoning. Serve the soup with freshly grated Parmesan.
