Healthier Italian Wedding Soup
Packed with vegetables, roasted turkey meatballs and tiny pasta, this update on traditional Italian Wedding Soup is delicious, filling and nutritious.
Ingredients
- 12 cups low sodium chicken broth, homemade or store bought
- 1 rind from a wedge of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese
- grated zest of one lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2lbs/908 gr ground turkey
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from about 1 medium onion)
- 2 cups finely chopped carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)
- 1 cups finely chopped celery (from about 4 medium celery stalks)
- 1/2 cup tiny pasta, such as peperini
- 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach (this is about 4 good handfuls)
- additional grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large stock pot, bring broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Add the cheese rind, cover the pot and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir the broth occasionally to make sure the cheese rind doesn't stick.
- While the broth simmers, make the meatballs. In a large bowl, whisk together the grated parmesan, lemon zest, garlic, oregano, basil, kosher salt and a few good cracks of freshly ground black pepper until evenly combined. Add the ground turkey and mix with your hands until the parmesan mixture is evenly distributed throughout the ground turkey. Using finger tips, gently form the turkey mixture into bitesize balls, about 1/2" to 1" in diameter. For tender results, use light pressure to form the meatballs. (Don't roll or compact the meatballs too much or they will be hard and tough.) If the mixture is sticky, wet your finger tips as needed in a small bowl of water to make handling the turkey mixture easier.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven until cooked through and lightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the cooking time indicated on the package. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- To the gently simmering broth, add the cooked meat balls, onion, carrot and celery, and gently simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, then the spinach. Simmer the broth until the spinach has wilted, about 1 minute. Remove what remains of the cheese rind and taste the broth, If the broth has become too concentrated, add 1/2 cup of water at a time, tasting in between additions, to thin as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.