It is 2021, and I am back! It feels like forever since I have been in the right physical and mental space to get this blog back going, but now I am there. Our kitchen is finally finished (will do a full kitchen post soon) and we are all healthy; so the cooking and meal planning can commence!
So time to be honest – I can’t be the only one who struggled with gaining the COVID-19 19 right? All the time at home dealing with the kids, mixed with the constant snacking with the kids, and drinks all day and night because of the kids (see a common theme?) led to a bit more weight gain than usual. For me COVID hit at the worst time. I had already been sidelined with my shoulder surgery and just as I was getting back to physical activity, the world shut down. Then, because the hubs and I are gluttons for punishment, we decided to demolish and remodel our kitchen and most of our first floor. So now we were fully relying on ordering in, eating out and the kindness of our friends who let us eat at their houses all too often.
So as I get things going again in 2021, I am planning to blog about the delicious and healthy recipes I am making, as well as my method for meal planning. Please feel free to leave comments with any questions you have about meal planning or any dishes you would like to see me try! So here we go!
Keeping with the theme of healthy meal planning, I decided to make turkey meatballs for dinner Sunday night, and use the extra meatballs in a my version of Italian Wedding Soup on Monday.
The turkey meatball recipe is very simple and straight forward. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients – turkey, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional). Use your hands to combine all the ingredients, trying not to overmix.
Using a small ice cream scoop, or any small spoon, scoop out mini meatballs, about the size of a ping pong ball. You want to make sure that all the meatballs are uniform in size so that they cook evenly. Take each scoop, roll it into a ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed.
This is where meal planning can kick in and turn this recipe into one of those “choose your ending” books. Continue reading below this paragraph if you want to bake your meatballs to use for spaghetti and meatballs night and then use the remaining meatballs for the soup tomorrow. Scroll down to Option 2 if you want to just continue with the soup and cook your meatballs in the soup.
If you chose option 1, then bake the meatballs in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through. They can be enjoyed with pasta, on a meatball sub or over some cauliflower rice for a healthier option. I am trying to eat less carbs, so to keep it as close to Spaghetti and meatballs as I could, I tried Natural Heaven’s Hearts off Palm Spaghetti for the first time. It definitely didn’t taste like a full carbo loaded dish, but it had a good bite and took to the sauce and meatballs well.
If you chose option 2, then let’s get the soup going. Start by heating oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Once heated, add in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened but aren’t browned. While the vegetables are cooking, brown the meatballs in a large pan over high heat. Sear each side for 2 minutes and set aside.
Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, add in the meatballs and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
*If you made the meatballs in advance or are using the leftover meatballs, add in the reserved cooked meatballs now.*
Add 1/2 cup of any small sized pasta. I used ditalini (mini pasta tubes), but you can use orzo (rice shaped pasta) or acini de pepe (small pasta balls). Any small pasta will do. Allow the meatballs to warm through and the pasta to cook until al dente.
Once cooked, add in the final touches. First, add in the spinach. I only had a small amount of spinach in my fridge, so I ended up adding in some kale that I had as well. I actually really enjoyed the different texture that the kale brought to the soup, so the mix of the two lettuces might be a keeper! I also add in a little dill at the end. This is me bringing in some of my Jewish roots to this Italian dish. My favorite matzah ball soups always have some dill in the broth and adding it here adds some nostalgia to the dish – and delicious flavor of course.
Ladle a generous helping of soup into a large bowl, top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and enjoy! This Italian Wedding Soup is the perfect light yet hearty dish for a cold winter night.
Turkey Meatballs AND Italian Wedding Soup
The perfect light yet hearty soup to warm your family up on a cold night.
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 lb ground turkey 99% fat free
- 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
SOUP
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 large carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 1 medium onion
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 cups unsalted chicken stock
- meatballs see previous recipe
- 1/2 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 cup fresh spinach/kale
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
Instructions
For the Turkey Meatballs
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Combine the all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Do not over mix, just until it is all evenly distributed.
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Line and spray a baking sheet.
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Take about 1 tbsp of meat mixture at a time, form them into balls and place on the baking sheet, spaced out. Lightly spray the top of the meatballs with olive oil spray.
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NOTE: if using the meatballs for the Italian Wedding Soup, stop here and follow instructions for the soup (below).
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Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked through.
For the Italian Wedding Soup
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Dice the carrots, onion and celery into a small dice.
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Melt the oil and butter in a large stock pot over medium high heat.
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Once melted, add in the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flake, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until vegetables soften.
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While the vegetables are cooking, sear off the meatballs in a hot pan. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes and set aside.
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Once the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent, pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add in the meatballs and allow them to simmer in the soup and finish cooking. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Pour in the pasta and allow to cook to al dente according to directions on the box.
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Once the pasta is cooked, add in the spinach, kale and dill. Stir and serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
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