Porcini Meatball Soup with Swiss Chard Ribbons Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup soft bread crumbs
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp salt
• 12 oz lean ground beef or uncooked ground turkey
• 14.5 oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 14.5 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped or thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper; set aside. Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl; pour the boiling water over mushrooms. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms, reserving liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.
2. For meatballs, in another bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, ¼ cup of the onion, ¼ cup of the cheese, the milk, oregano, garlic, salt, and chopped mushrooms. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape mixture into thirty 1-inch meatballs. Place the meatballs in the prepared baking pan. Bake about 10 minutes or until meatballs are browned. Remove with a slotted spoon.
3. Slowly pour all but ¼ cup of reserved mushroom liquid (discard liquid at bottom of bowl that may be gritty) into a 3-½- or 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in broth, tomatoes, celery, and remaining ¼ cup onion. Carefully add meatballs to cooker. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir in Swiss chard. Cover; cook 15 minutes more. Garnish with remaining ¼ cup cheese.