While you certainly can make the meatballs in this soup with regular white meat turkey, for a supremely moist meatball, I highly recommend dark meat turkey if you can get your hands on it. Or try a mix of white meat turkey and lean ground beef. I like to finish off this soup with grated Parmesan cheese, but you’ll be pleased as punch with the flavor even without it.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- ⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup whole-wheat or regular orzo
- 1 bag (5 ounces) baby spinach, chopped
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, sage, and House Seasoning. Mix gently with your hands and form into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
- Add the meatballs to the boiling broth and cook for 5 minutes, until just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a bowl and reserve. Add the orzo to the broth and boil until just tender, about 7 minutes. Add the spinach, return the meatballs to the soup, and â¨cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is wilted.
Serves 8
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