Hey guys!
I spent a lot of time going round in circles on this one, trying to come up with what would be a fitting meal for this classic Disney film. Wait, you don’t know about Fun And Fancy Free? Honestly, I didn’t think I did either. ‘Mickey And The Beanstalk’ is one of the most famous Disney animated shorts of all time, but until we started this watch-through, I had no idea it was part of one of the weird package films from the 40s.
Now, there are other segments in Fun And Fancy Free, like a runner with famous ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, or a short about a bear named Bongo that rides a unicycle. However, I am going to be focusing on the obviously most famous part of this movie, ‘Mickey And The Beanstalk’.
Like I said, I had a surprisingly hard time coming up with a recipe for this one. I often find myself overthinking basically everything in my life, and this was no exception. It wasn’t until I just relaxed and allowed myself to simplify things that the answer came to me. Why not just take Goofy’s lead?
All of those things are delicious, so they should definitely taste great together. I used a turkey meatball to represent the turkey, and large gulf shrimp in place of lobster. I added in roasted sweet potatoes in place of a pie, and then included navy beans to represent the bean itself.
Adding in a simple piece of grilled homemade bread and we had ourselves a really simple, tasty, and filling meal that felt very classic and still had a great Disney twist to it. But honestly, it was so simple I really don’t have much to say about it at all. So, with that said, let’s move this along to the recipe!
Hearty Meatball Soup with Roasted Shrimp and Sweet Potatoes
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb turkey sausage
1 c wheat bread crumbs
1 egg
2 T fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 T garlic powder
1 t red pepper flakes
2 T olive oil
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands. Roll into small balls and place them on a sheet pan. Brush the meatballs with olive oil and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until they are nicely browned.
Garlic Roasted Shrimp
2 llbs gulf shrimp, de-veined
3 T olive oil
2 T fresh chopped garlic
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
Toss the shrimp in the olive oil and garlic. Lay it out on a baking sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until it is fully cooked. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste and then toss with fresh parsley.
Sweet Potato and Navy Bean Soup
4 sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 T butter
10 cups chicken broth
1 T flour
2 cups navy beans
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
Melt butter in a pot on the stove and saute the onions, celery, and garlic until soft. Stir in the flour and continue to cook until the mixture thickens. Add in the chicken broth, the sweet potatoes, and the navy beans and simmer together until the potatoes are tender. Add in the cream and meatballs and make sure everything is heated through. Ladle soup into a bowl and add in roasted shrimp and garnish with grilled bread.
So, there really isn’t a lot to say about this recipe. It’s similar overall to Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, but the sweet potatoes really add a nice zing of sweetness in the middle of it. While there isn’t a lot to say because it’s a basic recipe overall, it was really good. Like even though I’m writing this at eight o’clock in the morning, I’m thinking about having some right now. While it’s not soup weather right now, definitely keep this one in mind for the next yucky day. It will really pep you up!
