Chicken Sausage Meatball Dinner with Meatball Minestrone for Lunch

Step 1

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Dice potatoes into ½-inch cubes. Halve and peel onion; small-dice one half and thinly slice the other. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Peel and halve carrot lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces. Halve, core, and thinly slice apple. Pick 1 tsp thyme leaves from stems; leave remaining sprigs whole.

Step 2

Place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot; mash until smooth. Stir in sour cream and 1 TBSP butter; season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Step 3

Using your hands, form sausage into small meatballs (about 16). (TIP: To prevent the meat from sticking to your hands, lightly dampen them with water.) Place meatballs on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake until browned and cooked through, 18-20 minutes.

Step 4

Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and whole thyme sprigs and cook, stirring, until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add cabbage, apple, and another drizzle of oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add vinegar, half the scallion greens, and ½ tsp sugar (to taste); cook for 1 minute. Discard thyme sprigs. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Step 5

Heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, scallion whites, carrot, and Tuscan Heat Spice. Cook, stirring, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add 3 stock concentrates and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, then stir in beans (and any liquid). Reduce heat to a simmer; season with salt and pepper. Stir in half the meatballs; simmer 2 minutes. Divide soup between 2 reusable containers. Divide spinach between plastic zip-close bags. When ready to eat, stir spinach into soup. Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes, or until heated through and spinach has wilted.

Step 6

Rinse and wipe out pan used for cabbage. Melt 1 TBSP butter in same pan over medium-high heat until melted. Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in remaining stock concentrate and 1 cup water. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in another 1 TBSP butter and reserved 1 tsp thyme leaves. Divide mashed potatoes and cabbage mixture between plates. Top mashed potatoes with remaining meatballs and sauce. Garnish with remaining scallion greens.