Broccoli soup and meatballs

If you think that soup is boring and non-nutritious, then it will be a pleasant discovery for you that the first dish can be bright and light, while nourishing and useful. Colorful and delicious broccoli soup, bell peppers and chicken meatballs will appreciate all your homemade! Emerald inflorescences of tender broccoli contrast wonderfully with the scarlet strips of sweet pepper; orange carrot mugs and fresh greens add appetizing taste to them.

Broccoli is a cauliflower “little sister,” and, scientifically speaking, is its subspecies. The main difference is the green shade of the inflorescences. Chlorophyll gives them a pleasant emerald color, which is important not only for plants, but is also necessary for the human body to organize the correct composition of blood. In addition, in delicate broccoli florets there are twice as many minerals as cauliflowers. And the content of vitamin C is two and a half times higher than that of citrus!

Broccoli also contains an impressive supply of the vitamin “keen eyes and beauty” - beta-carotene. Together with orange suppliers of provitamin A - carrots and pumpkin - green broccoli was surprisingly far ahead of other vegetables! Its calorie content is low, because broccoli is a great dietary product.

Broccoli can be fried in an egg, cook with it diet casseroles and vegetable soups. If the children are suspicious of unusual cabbage - catch it at the end of cooking, puree in a blender and put back into the pan a couple of minutes until done. Having tasted a delicious soup, the next time the household will willingly eat it without such tricks.

The soup is cooked without frying, so it can be considered dietary. At the same time, thanks to the meatballs and croup, it turns out to be satisfying. And if, when serving, to put a spoonful of sour cream in the plate, ... even those who previously considered themselves not to like vegetable soups will ask for supplements!

Ingredients for broccoli and meatball soup

2, 5-3 l of water;
1 medium broccoli inflorescence;
1-2 bell peppers;
2-3 potatoes;
1 carrot;
1 onion;
150-200 g of minced chicken;
half a cup of unpolished rice (or bulgur);
salt - to taste (approximately 2/3 tbsp. L.);
vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l (optional);
Greens: dill, parsley, basil (fresh, dried or frozen).

Cooking soup with broccoli and meatballs

We put the pot on the fire, pouring water there and pouring out the washed rice: the croup needs more time to cook than the vegetables. In the meantime, the water boils, clean and wash the vegetables. They should be dipped in boiling water immediately after cutting, in order to preserve maximum benefit.

Cut the potatoes in small pieces, carrots - in circles. And you can cut the stars to make it more interesting and elegant.

As soon as the water begins to boil, pour the potatoes and carrots into the pan. Let them boil under a lid on medium heat for about 7 minutes, while we will prepare the next batch of vegetables for the soup.

Rinse the broccoli, disassemble into small florets. The stem can also be used as food - cut it across into thin slices. Sweet pepper, peeled from the tails and hearts, cut into strips. Chop the onion. Greenery omitted for five minutes in cold water, then rinsed.

I recommend adding not only the listed greens to the soup, but also parsley root: it gives the first dishes a magical flavor.

In the meatballs for the meatballs add half the finely chopped onion and half of the chopped greens, salt, pepper and thoroughly knead. I prefer minced chicken fillet - you can buy ready-made, but it is better to twist chicken breast in a meat grinder.

Wetting hands in water, we make small balls of minced meat, slightly smaller than a walnut.

If you are cooking soup for babies, meatballs should be boiled first and drain the first water, and then add them to the soup. Dip them in boiling salted water and boil for 2-3 minutes in a small saucepan. After that, the meatballs are half ready, so you can add them to the soup when it is almost cooked.

In the meantime, we put peppers, onions, and chopped broccoli in a pot - it is denser and cooks a little longer than inflorescences.

After 3-4 minutes you can put broccoli florets in a company with parsley root and meatballs. If you put the meatballs in the soup raw, then put a little earlier - at least 10 minutes before the soup is ready.