italian wedding soup

If the weather folks are right (and let's face it, they usually aren't), Monday was the last hot day of the year. Today, it started raining, the sun barely came out, and the temperature dropped 15 degrees.

I. Freaking. Loved. It.

However, it would have been even more awesome if it had been on a weekend where I could stay home and do nothing. But alas, it ended up on a Thursday.

Regardless, this kind of weather calls for soup (1:12 in the video below- "It's FALL, muthaf***a!"). And not just any soup: Italian wedding soup. It's full of vegetables, flavor, and, best of all, it's a pretty damn healthy version.

prep time: 30-45 minutes | cook time: 1-1 1/2 hours

experience level: easy | specialty: comfort food

turkey mini meatballs

1 pound lean ground turkey (I like 90/10)
2/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. dried parsley
3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup grated (powdery) Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3-4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

la soupe

1 tbsp olive oil
4 large carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
10 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 dry white wine (you can use cooking wine if you don't usually have white wine on hand, like me)
1 cup dried mini pasta (I prefer the mini farfalle)
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried dill
2 cups fresh spinach, stemmed removed and roughly chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan and freshly chopped parsley, options toppings

Chef's Note: I kind of listed the ingredients backwards, as I prefer to do all of my vegetable prep first.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit / 177 degrees Celsius. While the oven is warming, chop all of the vegetables for the soup.

Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven on the stove, adding the olive oil when the pan warms. Cook the carrots, celery, and onion until softened, seasoning with the salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth and the wine, then stir in the herbs. Heat until the soup just starts to bubble, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 45-60 minutes.

Once the soup is going, it's time for mini meatballs! Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl with your hands. Use just enough milk to make sure the breadcrumbs are moistened enough to be incorporated, but not so much that the mixture is soggy. Roll into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet that has been misted with nonstick spray (you'll thank me for that tip during cleanup). Place the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, until the meatballs start to get brown. Remove and set aside.

After the meatballs are cooked, add them to the soup pot, along with the cup of dried pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes, just until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the chopped spinach, allowing it to cook until slightly wilted (basically, like, 2 minutes).

Remove the soup from the stove and top with fresh Parmesan and parsley.

You will either love me or hate me for this recipe. It's SO good.