Turkey Meatball and Vegetable Soup

This soup might be the tastiest soup I have ever made. It took a little while to make the meatballs, maybe about a half hour, but it was definitely worth it. I got the base recipe from For the Love of Cooking and adjusted it slightly according to my preferences and the ingredients that I had available. (Sorry about the low quality picture. It really tastes better than this picture makes it look.)

Serves: 6 

Total meal preparation time: nearly 2 hours

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan and garlic Panko bread crumbs

Soup:

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 cup carrots, diced

1 1/2 cup (3 stalks) celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup dilatini pasta

2 cups spinach leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients for meatballs in a medium bowl. Roll meat mixture into mini meatballs - 1/2-1 tsp for each meatball - and place onto a plate. Refrigerate meatballs while you chop up vegetables for the soup.

In a large pot, preheat 1 Tbsp over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs, in batches for 4-5 minutes. Carefully turn each meatball over halfway through so that they cook on both sides. Meatballs don't need to cook completely because they will finish cooking in the soup. Remove cooked meatballs from pan and place on a plate.

Add the second tablespoon of oil to the pot. Stir fry onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften, about five minutes. Add minced garlic and stir constantly for one minute, then stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Then add meatballs and pasta and cook for another 20 minutes. Right before serving, add spinach leaves and stir until they are wilted. Taste and season as needed.