A Twist on Italian Wedding Soup

The other night, I had a craving for Italian wedding soup, so I decided to make a new version of it using some ingredients I had on hand. The best part is that it had a familiar flavor, but also tasted completely unique! I didn't have parmesan cheese on hand, but what it lacked in cheese it more than made up with the flavorful sausage meatballs. And of course, it was super simple, perfect for a weeknight.

Turkey Sausage Meatball Soup

2 Spicy Turkey Italian Sausages
2 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
10-15 crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh spinach
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 cup short grain rice
Pepper to taste

Slice the sausages down the length of the casing. Unpeel the casing and discard it, leaving just the sausage meat.



Knead the meat together and roll it into tiny meatballs.



Drop the meatballs into boiling water to cook through fully, about 5 minutes.



Remove the meatballs and drain the liquid. To keep a little flavor, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid for the soup (optional).

In a pot, heat the olive oil, then add the chopped garlic and diced shallots. Stir until shallots soften. Next add the chicken stock and rice, as well as any reserved cooking liquid from the meatballs. My measurements here are a little vague because I added these ingredients to suit how much I wanted to make, so keep that in mind!

Bring the soup to a light boil for 5 minutes. Then, add the mushrooms and cook together until the rice is tender, about 5 more minutes. At the end, add the spinach and cook until it begins to darken and wilt, about 2 minutes.

Season with a dash of pepper. Serve with crusty toasted Italian bread.



Enjoy a quick, hearty weeknight soup!