Stracciatella with Turkey Meatballs

October 21, 2011 – 5:03 pm

This is me winging it with my meatball recipe while feeling like soup on this foggy evening. Stracciatella is a classic Italian soup, traditionally made with just chicken broth, eggs, and some sort of green (spinach, arugula or kale). I added my meatballs and a little pasta to make it a hearty meal, and I’ve got to say that it turned out very well! Parmesan is often stirred into the broth as well, but I skipped that.

Stracciatella with Turkey Meatballs
Serves 4

For the meatballs:
20 oz ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning (mine is a mix of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, and basil)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the soup:
1 tsp olive oil
2 quarts low sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 oz small pasta (I used Campanelle, but Ditalini would also be good)
6 stems kale (about 1/4 of a bunch), stemmed and torn into bite sized chunks
2 eggs

Gently mix all of the meatball ingredients together. Form the mixture into 20 even balls (I use my #40 disher for this).

Add olive oil to the pan. Turn the heat to medium high. When the oil gets hot, add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Add the broth, garlic, and other seasonings. Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Add the pasta and return the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

While the kale is cooking, lightly beat the eggs with 1 tbsp of water and a sprinkle of kosher salt. While gently stirring the soup in a circular pattern, drizzle the egg into the broth, forming long strands. Let the soup simmer for a final minute to set the eggs.

Serve warm.

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