Turkey Italian Wedding Soup

Turkey Italian Wedding Soup

I made this after hosting Thanksgiving so I had parts of a turkey on hand. You can also get wings and drumsticks at the grocery store most of the time, no time for that? Get yourself a box of the good turkey stock!!!

In a large pot

Turkey parts (Drumstick, thighs, wing. Left over skin on)

2 carrots, washed, rough cut

2 celery stalks, washed rough cut

1 medium onion, quartered with the skin on

3 cloves of garlic

½ head fennel, rough chopped (optional)

Left over herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage.)

Water to cover

Salt and pepper

Bring to a boil, cover and lower the flame. Simmer 3-5 hours.  Cool.

My broth wasn’t fatty so I didn’t have to skim it, but if you see a lot of fat on the surface, cool completely and remove solid fat.  Then strain soup through a fine sieve.  Return broth to pot and bring to a boil. 

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground turkey

2 eggs

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled, chopped

Mush all ingredients together, if too wet add more panko.  Roll into balls smaller than a golf ball.  Once you have rolled all the balls lower the broth and add meatballs one by one.  BE CAREFUL!!!  Add 2 stalks chopped celery, 2 carrots peeled and chopped, let cook 7-10 minutes before adding the following.

1 bunch escarole (they also sell this in a bag pre washed and chopped) washed thoroughly, and chopped

1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini

Add the chopped escarole and cook 5-10 minutes, add the frozen tortellini and cook according to directions, usually 3-5 minutes.  Serve with parmesan cheese. 

If you are using boxed broth simply bring it to a boil (I would use two large boxes) and start at the meatball portion of the recipe.  If you can’t find escarole, spinach is a good substitute.