Ugly Soup

Not exactly an appealing title, is it? I’m a big fan of soup and often have it as a first course when entertaining but, I admit, this isn’t company-worthy in presentation. However, what it lacks in sophistication to the eye, it makes up for in rich taste without excess calories (plus it’s really simple). Since the weather has been unseasonally cold, I decided to give it a try.

Turkey Meatball & Vegetable Soup

5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1 ¼ tsp. ground cumin

About 2 Tbl. chopped fresh oregano, divided

¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper

1 lb. ground turkey

½ cup cold cooked white rice*

Heat broth, carrots and celery in a medium pot, covered, over high heat until boiling. Meanwhile, make meatballs.

Combine egg, cumin, 2 tsp. oregano, and the salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in turkey and rice to blend well. Shape meat into 1 ½” balls and set on tray. Lower meatballs into soup with a spoon. Bring to simmer; reduce heat and cook, covered, until carrots are very tender, 8-10 min. Stir in remaining oregano.

*I had a little extra rice so, the day after I made this, I threw in the extra rice to heat up for lunch. I actually liked adding some to the broth.

My friend, Betsy, spotted this in Sunset magazine and thought it sounded good (and guess what, even the Sunset kitchens couldn’t make it look good!). I’m glad she read through it and realized its potential. Yummy. Like a well-worn bathrobe, it may have an ugly appearance, but you can’t beat it for comfort. Forgive me for renaming it “Ugly Soup”.

The Mother