Italian Wedding Soup

I know I have said this before (many times) but I really adore soup.  Especially this time of year.  And this is one of my favorite soup recipes.  Ever.  So when I dear friend of mine told me that she made the amazing Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding Soup (click here for recipe), I knew I had to make it in a little bit of a healthier version.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love me some Ina,  I would rather  save some calories for some type of dessert.  Preferably something with pumpkin in it 🙂

Feel free to use what ever small pasta you have on hand.  I used orzo which is easy and light.  You can also make your meatballs with chicken, turkey or beef if you’d prefer.  Just please use organic.  Who needs all those antibiotics and toxins in our meats?  Not me.

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Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound organic ground turkey or chicken
• 1 cup whole wheat or gluten free breadcrumbs
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning usually just a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme and marjoram so you can add your own if you don’t have Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1/2 onion minced
• 2 large carrots chopped finely
• 2 celery stalks chopped finely
• 10 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup orzo mini shells or small pasta (can also use quinoa or brown rice if gluten-free)
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 6 ounces fresh organic baby spinach

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese, egg, ground flax, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper with your hands until thoroughly combined. Roll into small meatballs (remember they are going in the soup so they should be small) and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until fully cooked through and browned.
3. While the meatballs are cooking, place oil, onion, carrots and celery into a large stock pot or dutch oven. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until desired softness of the vegetables is attained.
4. Add broth and wine and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and Italian seasoning to broth and cook another 6-8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add meatballs and fresh spinach. Stir for a minute or two until spinach is wilted. Top with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Hope you enjoy this!  Thank you for stopping by~