Recipe: Turkey Meatball Soup

TURKEY MEATBALL SOUP



FOR THE MEATBALLS:
3⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1⁄4 cup grated onion
1 egg
2 Tbsp dried parsley leaves
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 lb ground turkey

FOR THE SOUP:
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups water
1⁄2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1⁄2 cup chopped green onions
1⁄4 cup thinly sliced celery
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 cup broken noodle-type pasta (vermicelli or fine egg noodles work best)
1⁄2 cup seeded and diced sweet red pepper

TO PREPARE THE MEATBALLS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan, grated onion, egg, parsley and pinch of salt and pepper. Add the ground turkey. Mix gently.

Form the turkey mixture into small balls, using about 1 Tbsp of the turkey mixture for each meatball. Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a greased large, rimmed baking sheet.

Bake until the meatballs are no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, TO PREPARE THE SOUP:
Combine the stock and 3 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add the carrot, green onions, celery, thyme, basil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the carrot is tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the meatballs, pasta and red pepper to the pot. Simmer, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. (The cooking time will be longer if you use thicker noodles.)

Ladle into bowls, making sure everyone gets an equal number of meatballs.

Naheed Nenshi, Broth Brother and Mayor of Calgary

Makes about 4 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Random House
Adapted from source: The Soup Sisters and Broth Brothers Cookbook Edited by Sharon Hapton