One of our guilty pleasures is definitely cooking competition shows like Chopped and “Triple G” (Guy’s Grocery Games), just to name a few! The creativity and success the chefs achieve in such little time is admirable and truly fascinating. Decisions are certainly not my forte, and by the time the clock ran out, I probably wouldn’t have even settled on what to make yet…

Needless to say, it was a miracle that we found out about this contest on a Saturday and cranked out this soup for the deadline a day later. @trackingisthenewblack and @mataharley created this #ThinkTopChef challenge, which required participants to create a dish using 10 of 12 challenging ingredients. We ditched the pickles and mushrooms (sorry, love you guys) and used chicken, canned, tomatoes, cheese, green beans, spinach, yams, eggs, onion, yogurt, and carrots, to make this soup!

Instant Pot Chicken Meatball Taco Soup

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt

Soup:

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 14.5 oz can green beans
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 1 yam, peeled and chopped
• 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 6 tbsp non fat plain Greek yogurt
• 6 tbsp shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

1. Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Form into about 40 small meatballs.
2. Place green beans and 1 cup chicken broth in a blender/bullet/etc. Blend until smooth, and set aside.
3. Press sauté on the instant pot, and spray with cooking spray. Brown the meatballs in two batches. Set aside.
4. With the instant pot still on sauté, heat the oil, then add the onion and carrots. Season with garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, and paprika. Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
5. Add meatballs back to the instant pot, along with green bean purée, remaining broth, yams, and tomatoes.
6. Secure the instant pot lid, and cook soup on high pressure for 20 minutes. Quick or natural release.
7. Remove lid, and stir in spinach.
8. Divide soup evenly among six bowls. Garnish each with 1 tbsp Greek yogurt and 1 tbsp shredded cheese.

Yield: 6 servings
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

321 calories per serving • Fat: 12.4g • Carbohydrates: 27.9g • Protein: 25.5g