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I was flipping through a Chatelaine magazine at my parents-in-law’s place and came across one of those quick-and-easy 30-minute meal recipes.  It was a turkey meatball soup that sounded easy enough, but it was missing some key ingredients like onions, garlic, and fresh herbs (aka flavor).  I did a search on Food Network.com and found an italian meatball soup by Emeril Lagasse, but it was missing another one of my key criteria for good eating: vegetables.  I took his recipe and added my own improvisations to include vegetative matter, fibre, and a leaner protein and this is the result.  Normally I take pictures of food I like to eat, but this stuff was consumed too quickly for the camera.

Italian Meatball Vegetable Soup

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing soup if desired
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pinches crushed red pepper

Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed with your hands, with their juice (or I just used diced tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 carrots, chopped
1 large zucchini, diced
14 oz canned beans (navy beans or mixed (kidney, garbanzo, etc.)), rinsed and drained
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whole wheat small pasta
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

In a medium mixing bowl combine the ingredients for the meatballs and mix
until thoroughly combined.

Divide the meat mixture into tablespoons and roll into smooth balls in your hands. Set rolled meatballs aside on a plate or other flat surface.

In a 4 1/2 quart soup pot or large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Add half of the rolled meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate and set aside. Brown the remaining meatballs in the same manner and set aside.

Add the chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and their juices, chicken broth, oregano and parsley and stir to combine. Return the meatballs to the soup pot and bring the soup to a boil. Add the carrots and zucchini. Reduce the heat so that the soup just simmers and cook for 30 minutes.  Add the pasta and beans to the hot soup, stir well, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the chopped basil and serve.