Saturday, September 15, 2012

What's for Dinner: Meatball Soup

I am kicking off my What's for Dinner series! First off, this amazingly delicious Meatball Soup. It is superb. The recipe is from a wonderful cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. Her book is basically all about hiding fruits and veggies in the food that you make for your children. It is an awesome way of making sure they have their daily intake of fruits and vegetables! I love this recipe, simply because it tastes good and an added bonus: it is super easy to make! Here is the recipe, which is adapted into my own words.

Let's Get Started!

Ingredients:
  • 3oz whole wheat pasta shapes (about a cup), cooked
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 sm onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
  • 1/4 c carrot puree*
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 c chicken broth
  • 3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 c sweet potato puree*
  • 1/4 c nonfat milk
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1. Over medium-high heat, add oil to a large pot. Let heat, then add onion and garlic. Cook until softened.
2. Puree tomatoes with their juice in a blender (if you don't have a blender just add canned tomato sauce, it may taste the same) and add to the pot with 1/2 tsp of salt. Add broth. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered for about 10 minutes.
3. For the meatballs, add the bread to a bowl with egg, sweet potatoe puree, milk, parmesan, 1 tsp of salt, pepper, and paprika. Let the bread soak until softened. Add the ground turkey and mix. Form into meatballs about 1/2-inch in diameter.
3. Add the meatballs to the pot and simmer 12 to 15 minutes. (The meatballs floated to the top when they were cooked!) Stir in cooked pasta and VOIILA!

Here is the finished product:



*The purees are simple and easy and if made ahead of time can be frozen so all you need to do is take out of the freezer and add to the recipe! Basically, you roast the sweet potato at 400 degrees fahrenheit for about an hour and steam the carrots until soft, then puree in a food processor for about 2 minutes or until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, you can easily just mash them with a fork. It will taste the same and you will still get the extra veggies! Super easy!

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