Simple Turkey Meatball Soup
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Every Thanksgiving, I save the turkey carcass and freeze it. Then, when I am in the mood for turkey soup, I’ll make stock out of it. If I have leftover turkey meat, I will freeze that as well. This year all the meat was devoured so I made turkey meatballs to go in the soup. For good turkey stock, follow the recipe for Chicken Magic Mineral Broth and just substitute the turkey carcass for the chicken.
MAKES: 6 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 60 Minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, (chop 1 & 3/4 onion and finely mince 1/4)
2 fennel bulbs, chopped (cored, stalks and greens removed)
8 carrots chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1/4 cup milk (cows, almond or soy work well)
1 large egg
1 slice whole grain bread (crusts removed)
1 pound ground turkey
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped Italian parsley, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
5 ounces dried small pasta (such as small elbows, orzo or stelline)
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, add the milk and egg and whisk lightly. Add the slice of bread and soak for 5 minutes. Mash the bread in the egg mixture to help incorporate. Add the ground turkey, cheese, 1/4 finely minced onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix with your hands until combined.
Rinse and moisten your hands with cool water and then shape the meat mixture into about 1 inch balls. Place them evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes. The meatballs will be undercooked but will finish cooking in the soup. If you want the meatballs browned, run them under the broiler for a few minutes after baking.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the remaining chopped onion and fennel. Saute until fennel is softened and onion is opaque. Add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and saute for a minute, until garlic is fragrant.
Add the carrots, cumin, remaining salt and pepper and stock to the pot. Bring to a simmer allow to cook until the carrots are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the meatballs and continue cooking until meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. To test the meatballs, remove one and slice in half. If it is still pink inside continue to cook for a few more minutes and retest. When meatballs are ready, add the remaining parsley.
Meanwhile, heat a separate large pot of water for the pasta. Bring to a boil, add the pasta and some salt and cook to package directions. Drain the pasta when ready.
To serve, divide the pasta among 6 bowls, ladle the soup over pasta and serve.
