Here is your invitation to get cozy! Tender, savory meatballs with silky, slurpy noodles, crisp bok choy and meaty mushrooms in a delicious broth! And speaking of broth: this clear broth is so simple, yet so satisfying! Flavored with fresh ginger and garlic, sweet cooking wine and savory soy sauce, I would be happy drinking an entire gallon of this stuff!
This soup is light, yet comforting, and comes together quickly! Simply mix the meatballs, then make the broth. Scoop the meatballs directly into the soup to simmer, then add veggies and noodles!
Here’s what you need for the soup:
Here’s what you need for the meatballs:
Mix the meatballs first, so the chicken can marinate.
Grate the garlic and ginger finely with a microplane, then add them to the chicken with the rest of the ingredients. Keep the meatball mixture to the side as you prepare the broth. As it sits, the ground chicken will soak up all those delicious flavors! Plus, giving the breadcrumbs time to absorb all the moisture will help keep the meatballs together.
Something to note:
If you aren’t partial to chicken for the meatballs, I think ground pork would work just as well in this recipe. It has a mild flavor and serves as a great “blank canvas” just like chicken does.
Make the broth.
Sauté grated garlic and ginger in sesame oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes. It will be very fragrant. Add the cooking wine to deglaze, then use a wooden spoon to scrape off any bits of the ginger and garlic from the bottom of the pan.
Add the soy sauce, chicken broth and salt. Depending on whether you use low sodium chicken broth, low sodium soy sauce, or both (or neither,) the amount of salt you will need will vary. I’m using low sodium soy sauce, but my broth isn’t. In this case I only needed 1/4 teaspoon of salt. So I recommend tasting the broth first, then adding salt in small increments as needed.
Bring the broth up to a boil, then immediately turn the heat down to a simmer while you add the meatballs.
Use a 1 ounce scoop for the meatballs.
I love this method for making meatballs for 2 reasons:
- It creates perfectly uniform meatballs
- It keeps my hands clean!
Use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture directly into the simmering soup. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
Separate the bok choy into big, leafy pieces.
Slice off the bottom of the head of bok choy then pull to separate the green leaves. Keep these aside until needed.
Add the mushrooms and bok choy right at the end.
You don’t want to overcook them. This soup is perfect when the greens are still a bit crisp and the mushrooms still have that fresh, meaty bite to them. Just before serving, toss them in and turn the heat down or even off. Stir them into the soup to let them soften just slightly right before serving.
If preparing this soup in advance, and you’re planning on refrigerating it before serving, don’t add the mushrooms and bok choy just yet. Wait until right before serving. Reheat the soup to a simmer, then toss them in.
Cook the noodles separately.
Just like with the vegetables, you don’t want to overcook the noodles. They will become mushy and really unappetizing.
The amount of time it takes to cook the noodles will depend on the type you use, so pay attention to the instructions on the package. I am using a very thin, wheat-based noodle that I found at the local Asian market. Because they are so thin, they only take about 3 to 4 minutes to cook through. Use any type of noodle you prefer.
How to serve:
Boil, then drain the noodles, then divide them between bowls. Then, ladle the hot soup and meatballs over the noodles. If you’d like, add garnishes such as thinly sliced scallions, sesame seeds, chili sauce and/or a sunny-side-up egg!
Other recipes to try:
Ginger Meatball and Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken (or pork)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 to 2 dash chili paste such as sriracha
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
For the soup:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic grated
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 heads baby bok choy
- 6-8 cremini mushrooms destemmed and sliced thin
- 3-4 scallions sliced thin
- 8 ounces dry noodles boiled separately
- kosher salt if needed
Instructions
Make the meatballs
- Combine the ground chicken with soy sauce, egg, panko, ginger, garlic , sesame oil, chili paste and salt. Set aside. When needed, use a 1 ounce scoop to drop meatballs directly into the soup.
Make the soup
- In a large pot over medium heat, sauté ginger and garlic for about 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cooking wine and deglaze. Add the soy sauce and broth. Taste and add salt if needed. Bring the broth to a boil then turn to a simmer. Scoop the meatballs into the simmering broth and cook for 15 minutes. When the meatballs are cooked through, add the mushrooms and bok choy leaves. While the soup is simmering, bring a separate pot with water to a boil. Cook noodles according to their package's instructions.Add cooked noodles to a bowl, then ladle over the simmering soup with meatballs, bok choy and mushrooms. Garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, chili paste and/or a fried egg.