Clean Eating Light Italian Wedding Soup

     Yes, yes - it is summer time. Cool, refreshing, light meals, right? Nothing to warm you up, right? There is a school of thought ( I have NO idea if it is true or not ) that eating warm to hot foods in the summer actually cools the human body; your body doesn't have to work as hard to "bring cool foods up to 98.6 degrees F " Rather, it relaxes and cools you as it allows the food to cool naturally in your body.

*shrug* I don't know, but warm days don't stop me from enjoying soup.
Like the man says - "Soup is Good Food"

Hey Lila - this version calls for escarole. Do you think you could use that Swiss chard your garden has been producing?? 

This light take on Italian Wedding Soup is courtesy of Everyday Foods Magazine.
It would be a great soup to make on a weekend day and then store for the week ahead. The flavors would definitely develop.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground dark-meat turkey (93 percent lean)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large organic egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup plain dried whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium organic chicken broth
• 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice, low to no sodium added
• 2 heads escarole (2 pounds total), cored, trimmed, and coarsely chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using 1 tablespoon for each, roll mixture into balls.
   
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes (with juice); bring to a simmer. Add meatballs; cook, without stirring, until meatballs float to surface, about 5-10 minutes.
   
3. Add as much escarole to pot as will fit. Cook, gradually adding remaining escarole, until wilted and meatballs are cooked through, about 5-10 minutes more. Thin soup with water if desired; season with salt and pepper. Serve soup sprinkled with more Parmesan.