Try this Healthy Pulled Pork Soup recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- fresh cracked pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock (homemade preferable)
- 2 cups each: carrots celery, onion. all diced.
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes strained
- 4 cups cooked pulled pork (here's my easy pulled pork rec
- 2 cups kale torn leaves with no stems loosely packed
- Carbohydrate 5.51501 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 10.416660004342 g
- Fiber 1.9205000295639 g
- Protein 1.73035 g
- Saturated Fat 1.46452000059955 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (139g)
- Sodium 1222.77610000009 mg
- Sugar 3.5945099704361 g
- Trans Fat 0.342845000117583 g
- Calories 115 calories
Step-by-step
- In a heavy bottom soup pot, add in the olive oil. Heat at medium-high until the oil starts to shimmer.
- Add in the carrots, celery and onion. Add in a pinch of salt. Stir and sweat the mirepoix for 6 minutes.
- Add in the zucchini and continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add in the strained tomatoes, pulled pork and chicken stock. Increase the heat to high.
- Bring the soup to a boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Add in the kale and stir to submerge. Add in the salt and pepper.
- Taste. Adjust seasonings and taste again.
- Enjoy hot and happy eating!
Treating soup vegetables with high heat causes scorching before the cell walls break down. Proper sweating requires medium-high heat until the oil shimmers, followed by a reduction to medium so the mirepoix softens without browning. Dice carrots, celery, and onions to uniform quarter-inch cubes to ensure they cook at an identical rate during the initial six-minute sweat. Zucchini contains high water content and enters the pot four minutes later to prevent it from turning to mush.
A heavy-bottom Dutch oven distributes heat evenly across the base, preventing hot spots that burn the strained tomatoes. Standard stockpots with thin stainless steel bottoms require constant stirring; cast iron or enameled alternatives retain thermal energy efficiently if the pot lacks multi-ply construction.
Pork already possesses robust seasoning from its initial cook, so broth salt levels require careful monitoring after the meat joins the pot. Simmering the liquid for fifteen minutes melds the chicken stock and pork fats without over-reducing the volume. Kale goes in after the heat source turns off; residual thermal energy wilts the torn leaves to a vibrant green while preserving structural integrity and preventing bitterness.
Acidity cuts through the rich pork proteins effectively. Serve this broth-based bowl alongside grilled sourdough rubbed with raw garlic or a sharp arugula salad dressed simply in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Leftovers store safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
