It is soup season and my first official soup of the fall was Turkey Meatball ‘wedding soup’. I usually make the broth from scratch but this time I used chicken STOCK from the grocery store. There are some good brands out there now so you can find the bone broth or stock that has more body to it than the usual chicken broth (which seems very thin on flavor).
So just start by preparing the base which includes onions, carrots, and celery. This is the most common base most people know as the mire poix. I add mushrooms because I like the added depth of flavor and umami quality. I use about 2 medium sized onions, 3-4 medium carrots, 3-4 celery stocks, approximatley 8 ounces of mushrooms, stems removed. Don’t get too hung up on exact measurements, IT’S SOUP!!!
Set pan to medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pot, then add about 3 TBSP. unsalted butter. Once it has warmed up and the butter is melted, add the onions. Saute them and let them sweat out until they are nice and ‘carmelly’, not burnt but soft and they almost start melting, stirring occasionally. Then add 3 heaping tsp. garlic (more or less to your taste) and stir, cooking for 30 sec or so to incorporate into the onions. Then I add the carrots, celery and mushroom all together and saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 min. At this point, I cover the pot, turn the heat to simmer and let the pan sit for 15 min. to allow all the veggies to soften and to bring out the flavors and allow them to meld together.
Now, time to make the meatballs…….
I use the 93% lean ground turkey but you could also use whatever your preference. I sometimes blend ground turkey with ground pork, turkey/beef, turkey/sausage, it just depends on what you might be in the mood for or if you are using what you have in your refrigerator or freezer. And I don’t measure ingredients for this mixture but ‘eyeball’ it. But here is an outline for general guidelines that can be tweaked.
All approximations: 2 20 ounce pkgs. 93% lean ground turkey, 1-2 eggs, 1/2 c. bread crumbs (can be seasoned but I prefer panko because I add my own seasonings)1/4-1/2 c. grated parmesean cheese, 1 tsp. dried thyme, salt/pepper, 1/4-1/3 c. milk (sounds weird but makes the meatballs super moist and tender), those mushroom stems I wash/rinse and mince them to add to meatball mixture, adds a nice flavor and a bit more moisture. Mix until blended. Line baking sheet with parchment. Preheat oven to 375 deg. Using a 2″ OXO scoop, make meatballs and organize on baking sheet. Bake approximately 20 min, turning meatballs over half way through cooking. They should be lightly browned and can be slightly undercooked as they will continue to cook in the broth. They are not perfectly round but I don’t worry too much about that, they still taste DELISH!
After veggies are cooked down, meatballs are cooked, I add flavoring to the pot including a tsp. each of thyme, dill (more or less to taste), salt, pepper, ground coriander. I add the meatballs, and pour 96 ounces of chicken STOCK into the pot and stir. Turn heat up high to bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and let cook for about an hour or more (for all the flavors to blend and incorporate and for the meatballs to absorb the flavors of the broth). When set to simmer, I add in 5-6 ounces of baby spinach and about 1 1/2 cups of couscous. Bob Mill’s makes a nice tri-color couscous, it is not the smaller type that is used to make tabouleh. . Stir occasionally until ready to serve.
This freezes really well and can last a few days in the frig as well. So YEAH for soup season. I hope to be cooking a lot more and experimenting with soups throughout the season. It is mid-October and around here, soup season runs through April at least!!! And sometimes June!! Enjoy……..
Turkey Meatball Riff on Italian Wedding Soup
soup season is upon us, make a pot of this turkey meatball soup to get warm and cozy
Ingredients
- Soup:
- 2 medium sized onions, diced
- 3-4 medium carrots, diced
- 3-4 celery stocks, sliced thin
- 8 ounces of mushrooms, stems removed, small chop
- 1 TBSP. olive oil
- 3 TBSP. butter, unsalted
- 3 tsp. garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. each of thyme, dill (more or less to taste), salt, pepper, ground coriander
- 5-6 ounces baby spinach
- 1-1/2 cups couscous (Bob Mill's tricolored)
- 96 ounces chicken stock
- Meatballs:
- 2-20 ounce pkg. ground turkey
- 1-2 eggs
- 1/2 c. bread crumbs (can be seasoned but I prefer panko because I add my own seasonings)
- 1/4-1/2 c. grated parmesean cheese
- 1 tsp. each dried thyme, salt/pepper
- 1/4-1/3 c. milk (sounds weird but makes the meatballs super moist and tender)
- mushroom stems, washed/rinsed and minced
Directions
- Step 1 Set pan to medium heat and add olive oil and butter to pot.
- Step 2 Add onions, saute them and let them sweat out until they are nice and ‘carmelly’, not burnt but soft and they almost start melting, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3 Add garlic (more or less to your taste) and stir, cooking for 30 sec or so to incorporate into the onions.
- Step 4 Add the carrots, celery and mushroom all together and saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 min.
- Step 5 Cover the pot, turn the heat to simmer and let the pan sit for 15 min. to allow all the veggies to soften and to bring out the flavors and allow them to meld together.
- Step 6 Now, time to make the meatballs…….
- Step 7 mix all meatball ingredients in a large bowl until incorporated.
- Step 8 Line baking sheet with parchment.
- Step 9 Preheat oven to 375 deg.
- Step 10 Using a 2″ OXO scoop, make meatballs and organize on baking sheet.
- Step 11 Bake approximately 20 min, turning meatballs over half way through cooking. They should be lightly browned and can be slightly undercooked as they will continue to cook in the broth. They are not perfectly round but I don’t worry too much about that, they still taste DELISH!
- Step 12 Back to the soup:
- Step 13 After veggies are cooked down, meatballs are cooked, I add the herbs, the meatballs, the chicken STOCK into the pot and stir.
- Step 14 Turn heat up high to bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and let cook for about an hour or more (for all the flavors to blend and incorporate and for the meatballs to absorb the flavors of the broth).
- Step 15 When set to simmer, I add the spinach and couscous.
- Step 16 Stir occasionally until ready to serve.
- Step 17 This freezes really well and can last a few days in the frig as well. So YEAH for soup season. I hope to be cooking a lot more and experimenting with soups throughout the season. It is mid-October and around here, soup season runs through April at least!!! And sometimes June!! Enjoy……..
