One Pot Turkey Meatball & Tortellini Soup

I'm a big fan of 1 Pot dinners.  So is my husband since he usually does the dishes. This recipe was inspired by several other similar ones.  However I think I have simplified it to a simple 30-40 minute home cooked one pot meal.

I also love to make homemade soups and stews. They are hearty, healthy and filling.  Plus they are good for you, if you pick the right ingredients that is.  Plus if you are like me and are continually trying to find more ways to get vegetables in your diet these work great.  I personally have a hard time with the leaf greens. Just like a kid, other than salad, I try to trick myself into eating my kale, spinach and other green veggies.

Besides a large pot you will only need a bowl to mix the meatballs in and a cutting board for the veggies. Now I truly believe a good base has to start off a meal and this is no exception. So it all starts with making a tasty meatball.  I don't scrimp on them either, make them from scratch instead of pre-made, the taste is worth it!

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb ground white meat turkey
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I buy the pre-made Italian varieties)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon of salt
(I also like to add a bit of my chopped onion to help keep them moist)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Soup
1 diced yellow onion
3 diced potatoes
4 chopped carrots (or to save time buy the baby carrots)
1/2 package of frozen spinach about 1/2 cup (make sure you thaw it and ring out the extra water, frozen gives you more bang for you buck too)
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 package of pre-made frozen tortellini
garlic salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot start with heating the olive oil. In a bowl combine the turkey with the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic and spices.  Mix them up and roll into small 1 inch balls.  Brown the meatballs on all sides, Next add the spinach, onion, carrots and potatoes, salt, pepper and chicken broth.  Bring to a gentle boil and let simmer for 15 minutes until the veggies are fork tender.  Add in the frozen tortellini and cook for 3 or so minutes, until pasta is cooked. Lastly taste to see if more salt is needed. That's it you're done!

Teddy at Christmas!

I hope you enjoy this soup as much as we did...
My cat thought it smelled good too, he was caught with is paw literally in the pot. After dinner, apparently when I turned my back he snagged a tortellini and made a break for it!

Well guess we can say cat tested, mother approved! -Amber