Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lb ground meat- turkey, chicken, or beef
¼ cup Panko or bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 Tbsp olive oil
Splash of white wine (about 2 Tbsp)
1 tsp each, salt and oregano
½ tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Soup
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 stalks celery, sliced (about 1 cup)
Optional: cabbage, about 1 cup chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup white wine
½ tsp dried basil
15 oz can navy or cannellini beans, drained
2 cups loosely packed leafy greens, I used kale
1 cup of any small dried pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl add ALL ingredients for meatballs.
Use your hands to gently combine ingredients and roll into small meatballs, about ½ inch each.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned.
While meatballs bake, sauté onions, carrots, celery, and cabbage if using, in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add broth, wine, basil, and beans. (You may add more broth or water if your soup is too thick.)
Add leafy greens and pasta.
Cook until pasta is done to desired consistency.
Add meatballs and heat through.
Serve topped with cheese.
* Note – When you grate cheese down to the rind, don’t throw it away - freeze it. I have a freezer bag of cheese rinds that I add to soups for lots of extra flavor. It won’t melt into the soup, so remove before serving.