The decorations are down, the house is put back together, I have one more return to make, the college girl is back at school and I have 2 teens still on holiday break! We made it through the holidays and I would say I am easing myself back into the routine of life. It’s still nice to not have to hustle kids to and from practice or worry about homework or making school lunches at the crack of dawn.  Next week will be here soon enough and the craziness we call life will be back in full swing.

I was going to blog today about my fitness goals for 2018  – I am sort of excited about this year and looking forward to sharing and hopefully inspiring! I decided to do that later on in the week as I have one sick kid at home and it seems like everyone around me seems to have someone sick in their house and with the majority of the country living in bitter cold, I thought I would share an amazing soup recipe I made last night because nothing says comfort better than soup and crusty warm french bread. 🙂

I adapted this recipe from the NY Times, adding my own spin on it by adding in turkey meatballs and pasta.  It made it more hearty and served with some crusty french bread – a complete meal!

I love soup and finding a recipe that my entire family will eat makes it even better.  Plus, it was lunch today! 🙂

Minestrone Soup with Meatballs & Pasta

For the soup base:

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 celery rib, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

For the vegetables:

• 1 bag of baby spinach (6-8 ounces)
• 2 celery ribs, cut into small dice
• 2 carrots, cut into small dice
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into large dice
• 1 (15-ounce) can cranberry, cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 48 ounces of chicken broth 
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or oregano

For the turkey meatballs:

• 1 package of ground turkey
• 1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Make the meatballs first – mix all the ingredients in bowl and form into small size meatballs. Place meatballs on the cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
2. Make the soup base: In a medium-size heavy soup pot, combine the oil and pancetta over medium-low heat to slowly render the fat and cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the onion, celery, and carrot. Pulse until finely chopped. Add to pot with cooked pancetta and adjust heat so the vegetables soften and cook without browning, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the other vegetables: Stirring after each addition, add spinach, celery, carrots, zucchini, beans, and tomatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5. Add the chicken broth. Add the herb sprigs. Cover, raise the heat and bring to a full boil. Uncover, add the meatballs and lower the heat to a bubbly simmer, and cook 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Remove the herb sprigs.
6. Cook 1 cup of small size pasta according to package directions and set aside.

To serve:
Place some of the pasta in the bottom of each bowl and spoon soup over the pasta and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese over each serving. Enjoy!