Italian Wedding Soup
with turkey meatballs / orzo

Name: Italian Wedding Soup
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 stalks Green onions, chopped, green and white parts separate; 1 lb Turkey, ground (look for ground dark meat turkey if available; sub ground beef or pork); 1 Eggs; 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Black pepper; 1/4 tsp Garlic powder; 1 Onions, medium, diced; 8 oz Carrots, chopped; 4 leaves Chard, any type, leaves and stems chopped and separate; ~12 Turkey meatballs (ingredients listed separately), halved; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1 Tbsp Tomato paste; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/2 tsp Oregano, dried; 5 cups Stock, any type; 1 Cheese, parmesan rind, (opt); 1/2 cup Pasta, orzo; 1 tsp Lemon juice; 2 oz Cheese, parmesan (opt), grated

Active: 25 min Total: 25 min

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Leftover turkey meatballs from earlier in the week get a totally different flavor profile in this Italian-inspired soup that is a version of a soup we featured in 2014.
Smarts: Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta that cooks fast. Feel free to use any pasta shape here, but adjust the time to be sure the pasta is cooked through.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Turkey Meatballs:

Green onions - 2 stalks , chopped, green and white parts separate
Turkey, ground - 1 lb (look for ground dark meat turkey if available; sub ground beef or pork)
Eggs - 1
Panko breadcrumbs - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/4 tsp

Italian Wedding Soup with Meatballs:

Onions, medium - 1 , diced
Carrots - 8 oz , chopped
Chard, any type - 4 leaves , leaves and stems chopped and separate
Turkey meatballs (ingredients listed separately) - ~12 , halved
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Tomato paste - 1 Tbsp
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Oregano, dried - 1/2 tsp
Stock, any type - 5 cups
Cheese, parmesan rind, (opt) - 1
Pasta, orzo - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Cheese, parmesan (opt) - 2 oz , grated

Prep

Onions / Carrots / Chard - Prep as directed. Combine onions, carrots, and chard stems in one container. Store chard leaves separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Green onions - Chop green onions, keeping green and white parts separate. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Make meatballs - (Skip if made ahead for Tuesday.) Mix white parts of green onions (reserve green parts), ground turkey, eggs, panko, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Form into 1” / 2.5 cm meatballs. Brush a sheet pan with some oil and spread meatballs out on the sheet pan. Bake at 375F / 190C degrees until meatballs are cooked through, 16 to 20 minutes. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
Halve meatballs - Slice meatballs in half (or quarters if meatballs are large).

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Make

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil and then onions, carrots, and chard stems to heated oil with a pinch of salt. Saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and oregano until fragrant, ~1 minute more.
Add stock and parmesan rind (if using) and bring to a simmer. Stir in orzo and simmer until orzo is nearly tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add meatballs and chard leaves. Continue to simmer soup until orzo is tender and meatballs are warmed through.
Move soup off heat and stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
Serve soup with grated parmesan and green parts of green onions sprinkled over top if you’d like. Enjoy!

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