Ingredients

:
2 liters of chicken broth

450 g of ground meat (pork or a pork-beef mix)

500 g of dried beans, preferably lima beans

400 g of pumpkin flesh

100 g of greens (such as spinach, young beet leaves, or Napa cabbage)

2 medium carrots

2 celery stalks

1 medium onion

4 garlic cloves

4 bay leaves

4 sprigs of thyme

3 tbsp chopped tomatoes

2 slices of white bread

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp grated Parmesan

Parmesan for serving

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Step 1

Soak the beans in cold water for 6 hours. Drain and rinse, then place in a pot. Add the chicken broth, thyme, and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

Step 2

Remove the crust from the bread and soak the bread in cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and crumble. Combine with the ground meat, add grated Parmesan, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix well and let rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Peel the onion, garlic, and carrots. Cut the pumpkin flesh into medium cubes, finely dice the onion, celery, and carrots, and chop the garlic. Add the vegetables to the pot with the soup after 1 hour of cooking and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, until the beans are tender.

Step 4

With wet hands, roll the meat mixture into small meatballs.

Step 5

Increase the heat under the pot to bring the soup to a boil. Add the meatballs, bay leaf, greens, and chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with toasted white bread.