One really great thing about being a part of a produce co-op is that you have an abundance of veggies right at your fingertips. I had time last week to catch up on my back issues of Clean Eating magazine and dog-eared a bunch of recipes to try out. Since most of the recipes are painfully low on protein for me, I plan to modify them a bit instead of sticking with them exactly.
I used to get Italian Wedding Soup at an all you can eat buffet here. It was a spicy soup with teeny tiny meatballs in it. I’m a sucker for things in mini version. Don’t forget my mini cupcake obsession. The soup also had orzo pasta and a few veggies floating around. I was excited to find a recipe that I could modify for the soup and use a ton more veggies to yum it up.
Italian Wedding Soup
- 1 lb 93/7 ground beef
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/4 egg substitute
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped turnips
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp herbes de Provence or fines herbs
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups sliced kale, stems removed
First make the mini meatballs. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, oregano, egg and bread crumbs. Mix well and form into little meatballs that are about an inch in size. I got 46 meatballs out of my batch to give you an idea of the size. Set the meatballs aside for later.
Next make the soup part. Heat a large pot over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and turnips and saute, stirring occasionally. When the veggies start to soften after about 5 minutes, add the broth, red pepper, and herbs. Bring to a boil.
Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and add the meatballs gently. You don’t want to plop and slash hot soup on yourself! Simmer for about 15 minutes until the meatballs are done. Add the kale leaves and cook another 2 minutes or so until the kale is cooked. Serves 4. Made as above with beef, each serving was 261 calories.
You can also use ground pork, chicken, or turkey instead of the ground beef. I just had beef on hand already so I used that. You can also use basil and oregano if you don’t have the herbes de Provence or fines herbs. The soup turned out amazingly well and had just the right amount of spice. It was great with whole wheat crackers on the side for lunch yesterday.
Leftovers reheat well too and I’ve got the other servings to take to work a couple days this week. What is your favorite soup? Do you appreciate regular food in mini size like I do?
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