Contest Winning Turkey Meatball Soup Recipes

MAMA'S OLD-FASHIONED ALBONDIGAS (MEATBALL SOUP)

Steps:

• Pour water into a large stockpot over high heat. Stir in 3 cups tomato sauce, yellow onion, chicken bouillon, garlic, and 1 tablespoon dried oregano. Bring broth to a slow boil.
• Combine ground beef, eggs, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, white rice, 1/4 cup cilantro, seasoned salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and cumin in a large bowl. Squeeze mixture with your hands until thoroughly mixed.
• Scoop 1/4 cup of beef mixture and form in a ball. Lower gently into boiling broth. Repeat with remaining beef mixture.
• Stir potatoes, carrots, and celery into the broth. Cover and simmer until meatballs and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and cabbage. Cover and simmer until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with avocado and 1/4 cup cilantro.

CONTEST-WINNING TURKEY MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring the broth, celery and carrot to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. , Meanwhile, in a small skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the egg, bread crumbs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in. balls., Add meatballs to the simmering broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until no meat is longer pink. Add noodles. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until noodles are tender.

MEATBALL SOUP

Steps:

• Place a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. Add the chopped onion and celery to the pot and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes and their juices, beef broth, tomato paste, 1/4 teaspoon of Italian Essence, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. Bring to a low simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
• While the broth simmers, make the meatballs. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, eggs, 1/3 cup Parmesan, bread crumbs, 3/4 teaspoon of the Italian Essence, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and, using clean hands, mix until thoroughly combined.
• Divide meat into tablespoons and roll into smooth balls with your hands. Set the rolled meatballs aside on a plate or other flat surface. Wash your hands.
• Carefully add the meatballs to the simmering broth. Gently stir, so as not to break up the meatballs Add the remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.
• Add the ditalini and spinach to the hot soup, stir well, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through. Stir in the chopped basil and serve the soup in wide bowls, garnished with additional grated Parmesan, if desired.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
• In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Steps:

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, chicken sausage, bread crumbs, egg, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Roll into one-inch meatballs making about 25-30.
• In a large pot add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add in the chicken stock, pasta, and meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is tender. Stir in spinach and allow to wilt. Season with salt and pepper and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

CHEF JOHN'S ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 20 minutes.
• Mix beef and pork together in a large bowl. Stir onions, bread crumb mixture, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and Parmesan cheese into meat mixture with a rubber spatula until combined. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour.
• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Using wet hands, form meat mixture into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until browned and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP RAPIDO

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-quart pot over high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, celery, and carrots, stirring occasionally, until onions are pale golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in broth and water and bring to a boil, covered. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté meatballs (do not thaw if frozen), turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Add meatballs to soup along with beans and briskly simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and meatballs are heated through, about 15 minutes. Stir in spinach, cheese, salt, and pepper and simmer, uncovered, until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.

MINESTRA MARITATA (ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add broth, cover and bring to a boil. Add orzo, oregano and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is just tender, about 9 minutes.
• Stir in meatballs and spinach; cook until the meatballs are heated through and the spinach is wilted, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with cheese and drizzled with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil.

TURKEY VEGGIE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan or a loaf pan and set aside.
• In a large pan over medium-low heat, saute the onions, garlic, celery, red pepper, salt, pepper and thyme in oil until soft and translucent, about 10-20 minutes. Stir occasionally so the mixture doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the vegetable mixture with the ground turkey, egg and crumbs. Mix to combine.
• Place the mixture in the prepared pan and pour the barbecue sauce over it.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes for a flatter pan like a 9x13, and about an hour for a loaf pan.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.

WILD RICE MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Combine wild rice with 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer on low heat for 30 to 35 minutes until rice is almost tender.
• Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• In a small saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat; add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• In large bowl combine onion mixture, wild rice, seasoned salt, pepper, milk, and egg and combine.
• Add ground beef, broken into chunks, and work gently but thoroughly with your hands to combine.
• Form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter and place on a broiler pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until meatballs are no longer pink in center.
• Cool and freeze, or when baked, use in your favorite recipe.
• Enjoy.