My grandma used to make a version of this dish using pork and showers of Parmesan. I have updated it to include ground chicken and miso for a lighter, late-summer dish with equally deep flavor, but feel free to use whatever ground meat you prefer. Gently poaching the meatballs is not only faster than roasting, but means none of their flavor is lost to a baking sheet.
Ingredients
4 servings
Meatballs
1
4
1
2
1
Broth and Assembly
3
2
4
1
1
2
12
Preparation
Meatballs
Step 1
Combine chicken, scallions, egg, miso, salt, and several grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Mix vigorously with a fork until combined (it will seem a bit wet at first, so keep at it) and just beginning to feel slightly sticky; set aside.
Broth and Assembly
Step 2
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and just beginning to turn golden around edges, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and beginning to sizzle in fat, about 2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, miso, and 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer, stirring vigorously and mashing miso against side of pot to dissolve, and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the tomatoes have burst open, (it’s okay to help them along with a spoon), about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add green beans to saucepan and cook until tender, 6–8 minutes. Using 2 spoons, drop gumball-size balls of reserved meat mixture into simmering broth. Once all of the meatballs have been added, cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
Step 4
Ladle meatballs, vegetables, and broth into bowls and top with basil if desired.
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Reviews (29)
Back to TopA delicious meal for the first day that felt as though autumn is arriving soon. I made it with ground turkey, chicken bone broth, and sliced mushrooms and subbed coconut amino acids to taste to kick up the nutritional value. The meatballs did fall apart before cooking through with only gentle stirring. I wound up transferring the dish into two separate skillets to cook faster. It came out thick and rich and saucy and delicious. Thanks for a new favorite quick and healthy dinner recipe!
SceneSiren
Dallas, TX
9/22/2021
I've made it a few times now, and while it is very good as written, I tend to add a few things just because we prefer a slightly more robust flavor. But again, the lightness of the original recipe is very good if that's what you're looking for. In the meatball mixture, I add a hefty dash of red chili flakes and use lots of black pepper as well. I used chicken broth for water and don't add as much salt, and also lemon zest and dill at the end. Really delicious and in regular rotation now!
Sarah
New York
4/14/2021
This. Was. Amazing. Such delicious umami flavors. Incredible comfort food.
JB
Seattle
2/22/2021
I guess this depends on the miso you have, but the miso I used itself was really salty to begin with and I added the whole tsp of salt to the meatball mixture without thinking and it ended up being way too salty(almost inedible). I'd suggest starting with 1/2 tsp of salt to begin with if your miso is already salty.
Anonymous
CA
1/4/2021
Subbed ground turkey for chicken, onion for shallots, and bok choy for green beans and still came out great! I thought 4 cups of water was a little too brothy for me so I let it simmer down a bit before adding in the meat and veg (I will probably just opt for less water next time.) The recipe says only 4 servings but it seems like so much more than that! Great recipe, will be adding to the meal prep rotation
Jodie
Santa Barbara, CA
12/1/2020
Delicious! Made with 1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 water when it says to add 4 cups of water and came out delicious and hearty! Also used instant miso broth concentrate and had perfect miso-ey flavor! Second time making this and will become a staple.
Anonymous
Phoenix, AZ
11/30/2020
Delicious! Made it just as written and it came out great. Added some rice to a few bowls but otherwise just ate it as a soup.
Nora
Buffalo, ny
11/29/2020
I made this recipe today. The meatballs turned out completely amazing. I really wanted to make chicken meatballs. This was the first time I ever made them. I bought boneless skinless thighs and put them in a food processor because the packaged minced chicken at the supermarket didn't look so great. I also didn't have cherry tomatoes or basil leaves so I used small tender tomatoes that I had and parsley. I will DEFINITELY be remaking this recipe. It was absolutely delightful.
zozo
New York
11/25/2020
This recipe turned out wonderfully! It’s a great weeknight dish for when you want something fresh and homemade without putting in a ton of time and effort. I served everything over rice and would definitely recommend that for a heartier twist.
anna_cayot
Long Beach, CA
10/2/2020
We made this just as written in the recipe and we thought it was amazing. We also found it got better the next day! Very flavorful broth and meatballs, I thing the miso was the secret weapon of the flavor :) We'll definitely make this again, we loved it!
Anonymous
McLean, VA
9/30/2020
Meatballs were ok; kinda fell apart in the broth even with minimal stirring. Might be because I used turkey instead of chicken OR they were simply too large. I thought 2tbsp/miso in the meatball was a bit crazy so I only added about 8 grams. I also added powdered ginger (thanks penzeys!) I liked the broth but ended up adding 3 thinly sliced shishito peppers, reducing the miso by half and supplementing with a hearty spoonful of chicken better than bouillon. Added about 8oz./green beans. I imagine if you had a lot of people to feed you could add all 12 oz, but I could barely fit the pound's worth of meatballs and 8 oz of beans into my pot submerged enough to cook. At the end I topped with giardinera from number one sons (best ever giard!). Seriously, so good! Thanks for the fun recipe Chris, can't wait to play with it even more.
Anonymous
washington DC
9/22/2020
This is a home run with summer and simple ingredients Miso made light but flavorful broth. I learned Miso can be used as a substitute for bouillon!!! Am adding this to my recipe book.
Anonymous
Sacramento, CA
9/22/2020
I liked the recipe as a whole. The meatballs were really flavorful and denifitely my favourite part of the dish, and though the broth was a little bit bland, adding chopped mint leaves, ground pepper and lemon juice about a minute before I took my pot off the stove definitely fixed that.
Anonymous
Greece
9/21/2020