Ingredients
Meatballs:
8 oz. ground turkey (if you can’t find this in your grocery store, try a bio shop or a poultry butcher)
tablespoons pesto
3 tablespoons whole wheat bread crumbs
Salt
Black pepper
Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small stalk celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 cups chicken broth
1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice OR a slew of fresh tomatoes
Parmesan cheese for topping
Preheat oven to 180C.
In a small bowl, combine ground turkey with pesto, bread crumbs, plus salt and pepper to taste. Mix with a fork until evenly blended. Roll into meatballs (about 3cm wide) and place on baking sheet covered with baking paper. Place in oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden on top. You can always cut one open to check it’s fully cooked through.
In a heavy-bottomed soup pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery to the pan, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring the vegetables a bit, until vegetables become tender. Add the broth and the diced tomatoes and their juice, and bring to a simmer (if you use fresh tomatoes, the natural juices come out and smell wonderful). Cover again and allow to cook for about 15 minutes, or until carrot is soft.
When the soup is ready, use a hand blender to puree it. Take meatballs from the oven (when ready) and gently place in soup. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves four.
Text: Lydia Parafianowicz
