Fresh Flavor For Old Favorites: Vegetable Soup with Turkey-Thyme Meatballs

Article Tools
Bookmark and Share

Serves 8

Here’s a hearty soup loaded with chunks of fresh vegetables and punctuated with thyme-studded turkey meatballs. Thick as a stew, it’s a meal in itself.

RELATED CONTENT

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped celery
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped leeks
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
  • 1 pound potatoes, unpeeled, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained

Meatballs

  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 4 cups fresh bread crumbs (about 4 slices)
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  1. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and cabbage for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and stock and bring to a boil. ­Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, combine all the meatball ingredients and shape into twenty-four meatballs. Place on a cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and bake 5 minutes longer.
  3. Add the tomato paste, beans, and meatballs to the soup pot and simmer 20 minutes longer.

Terri Wuerthner is an herb lover and food developer in Palo Alto, California.

Click here for the original article, Fresh Flavor For Old Favorites.

Comments

Add Your Comment

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Herb Companion readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Herb Companion?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.


Pay Now & Save 50% off the Cover Price
First Name: *
Last Name: *
Address: *
City: *
State/Province: *
Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Subscribe to The Herb Companion

Your guide to the many uses and even more pleasures of nature's most helpful plants!

The Herb Companion is the smart and easy complement to your own healthy, vibrant lifestyle! In every issue you'll find information on using herbs to:

  • Transform simple dishes into spectacular meals
  • Make gardens as useful as they are beautiful
  • Replace harsh chemicals with natural alternatives
  • Help find fulfillment, balance and good health
  • And much more!

Yes, send me a one-year subscription (6 issues) to The Herb Companion. I'll pay just $19.95.

Save Even More Money By Paying NOW!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our Earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $5.00 and get 6 issues of The Herb Companion for only $14.95 (USA only).