Sometimes I find a bowl of soup a little lack-luster, often requiring some kind of supplement like a salad or sammie before you actually feel full. But trust me when I tell you, Meatball Tortellini Soup can stand on its own! It's hearty, rich in flavor and frankly, pretty good for you!
This soup is all about layers of flavor. Browning the meatballs directly in the soup pot creates that first flavor punch. The addition of aromatic veggies like onions, carrots and garlic are the next familiar boost. Frying up a bit of tomato paste with the veggies creates beautiful depth of flavor with so very little effort. A heavy hand with the dried spices helps to season the soup stock. And finally a splash of Maggi sends the soup over the top. If you haven't ever come across Maggi before, it's a European liquid seasoning that packs a salty, umami punch!
To keep this soup on the lighter side, I like the addition of turkey meatballs, but you could certainly substitute with beef. Plenty of carrots and spinach amp up the veggie content. Cannellini beans not only add great fiber to the dish, but create a creamy broth with out any added fat!
Trust me, you're gonna love it!
Meatball Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs
· 1/3 cup bread crumbs
· 1/3 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
· 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
· 1 egg
· ½ tsp salt
· ¼ tsp black pepper
· 1lb lean ground turkey
For the soup
· 2 tbsp olive oil
· ½ onion, diced fine
· 2 carrots, peeled and diced
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 1 tbsp tomato paste
· ½ tsp salt
· ¼ tsp pepper
· ½ tsp garlic powder
· ½ tsp dried basil
· ½ tsp dried parsley
· ½ tsp dried oregano
· 15 oz canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
· 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
· 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
· 9oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
· Maggi seasoning
· Pecorino cheese, grated
For the meatballs… combine bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, egg, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey. Stir until combine with the bread crumb mixture. Using a small spoon and your fingers, form small, bite-sized meatballs and set-aside.
For the soup… add the olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the bottom of the pot in a single layer. Fry on the first side for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Rotate twice more to brown evenly on all sides. Remove the meatballs from the pot, set them aside, and reduce the temperature to low. The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point.
Add the onions, carrots and garlic to the pot. Sautee for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste and allow to fry for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle in the salt, pepper and all the spices. Add the beans and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Return the meatballs back to the pot. Cover the pot, raise the heat to medium and bring to a hard simmer.
Simmer for at least 20 minutes, reduce the heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.
About 15 minutes before serving, raise the temperature and bring to a hard simmer. Add the spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, add the tortellini and cook for about 3-5 minutes per package instructions.
Serve immediately or keep warm over very low heat so as not to overcook the pasta. If desired, garnish with a few shakes of Maggi and a sprinkle of pecorino cheese.
Serves 4
Notes
This soup keeps well in the freezer. Once defrosting, you may need to add another cup or so of chicken stock depending on how much of the soup the tortellini have absorbed.
GF Friendly
Gluten Free Friendly!
Taste Republic makes a great GF tortellini, and Knorr offers a GF Maggi replacement – we order both on Amazon. For the meatballs, you can sub the bread crumbs for whatever GF bread crumbs you can find in your grocery store.
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