Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs
55 min · 23 g protein · 287 cals / serving
Dozens of tiny, tender turkey meatballs seasoned with parmesan, garlic and parsley, simmered in a golden chicken broth with carrot, celery, a little small pasta and a mountain of wilted spinach. Lemon and a final grating of parmesan make every spoonful bright and savoury.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb 2 oz ground turkey (93% lean)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Soup
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, small dice
- 2 stalks celery, small dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup pasta, acini di pepe, orzo or ditalini
- 10 oz spinach, baby spinach or chopped escarole
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To serve
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan
Steps
- Mix all the meatball ingredients with your hands until just combined. With damp hands, roll into small balls about 3/4 inch across; you should get around 40. Lay them on a plate.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery for 6–7 minutes until soft, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Drop in the meatballs one at a time and simmer, without stirring, for 8 minutes until they are firm and float.
- Stir in the pasta and simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not stick, until it is tender and the meatballs read 165°F in the centre.
- Add the spinach and lemon juice and stir for 1 minute until wilted. Taste for salt.
- Serve in deep bowls with the parmesan grated over the top.
Good to know
Can I make it ahead?
Roll the meatballs a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. If you plan leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl, or it drinks up the broth overnight.
Escarole or spinach?
Escarole is the traditional green and stays a little chewy and bitter, which is lovely against the sweet broth. Spinach is softer and easier to find. Kale works too; give it 5 minutes.
Can I use chicken instead of turkey?
Yes, ground chicken works the same way, at about the same score. Keep the mixture cold and do not overwork it, and the meatballs stay tender.
Per
- Calories
- 59
- Protein
- (32%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (44%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (24%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 325 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1723 kcal goes into the pot and 3132 g of ingredients comes out as about 2920 g of food: 59 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.