Italian Wedding Soup

[3 SP per 1½ cup serving] Now that December is finally here, and Christmas is only a couple of weeks away, I suppose that I have to admit that winter is here. On the bright side, winter means soup to warm your bones and heat you up from the inside. One of my all-time favourite soups is Italian Wedding and this recipe is a much healthier version. Give it a try, I am sure you'll agree that it is delicious.

Information

• Makes: 6 x 1½ cup servings
• Source: Emily Bites
• Prep: 15 min     Cook: 30 min

Ingredients

6 oz	99% fat-free ground turkey breast	0 SP
2 Tbsp	dried plain breadcrumbs	2 SP
5 Tbsp	Parmesan cheese, grated, divided	4 SP
¾ tsp	Italian seasoning	0 SP
⅛ tsp	garlic powder	0 SP
1 large	egg white	0 SP
1 Tbsp	fat-free skim milk	0 SP
1 Tbsp	olive oil	4 SP
½ cup	onions, diced	0 SP
2 medium	carrots, grated or diced	0 SP
2 medium	garlic cloves, minced	0 SP
	table salt, to taste	0 SP
	black pepper, to taste	0 SP
64 oz	fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth	2 SP
½ cup	uncooked whole wheat orzo	5 SP
2 cups	fresh spinach, thinly sliced	0 SP

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, garlic powder, one tablespoon of the grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, egg white and milk. Using your hands (or a spoon), mush all the ingredients together until well combined. Roll meat mixture into 30 separate (¾" - 1") mini meatballs.
2. In a large stock-pot, bring 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs to the oil and cook them, stirring occasionally until all sides are browned. Remove meatballs to a dish and set aside.
3. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the pot and continue to heat to medium. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until vegetables are softened.
4. Add the chicken broth to the vegetables in the stock-pot and cover. Bring to a boil and then uncover to add the meatballs, remaining 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) of Parmesan, orzo and spinach. Stir to combine and make sure the soup is at a boil. Re-cover the pot and return heat to medium to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes until the orzo and meatballs are cooked through.

Notes

The original recipe called for kale...I hate kale, so I replaced it with spinach.