Recipe: turkey meatball minestrone

I was flipping through Fitness magazine a few months ago and I came across this recipe for turkey meatball minestrone.  It was amazing.  I actually made it twice in one week.

Yesterday I shared my meatball recipe which is super easy and you make plenty for a batch or two of this soup.  Trust me, you might just want to double this recipe to start with.  It almost tastes like my favorite soup from Olive Garden, zuppa tuscana.  I altered the recipe a tad because some items weren't available around here.

Here's what you need:

• 12-15 tasty turkey meatballs (you can use frozen too, but I promise you they won't be as good!)
• 1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped- don't be afraid to try it!
• 1 box of reduced sodium chicken stock (4 cups)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbl of tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• Pinch of red chile flakes (optional)
• 1 can of cannellini beans, washed and rinsed
• 1 cup whole grain elbow noodles (or any pasta you like)
• 1 carrot, 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• Parmesan cheese for topping

1.  Pour a touch of olive oil to a large pot, heat to medium heat.  Add carrots, onion and garlic.  Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add to the tomato paste, chile flakes and kale to the pan.  Heat for 1-2 minutes and add chicken stock and water and bring to a boil.  
3. Once boiling, add noodles and simmer for 5-7 minutes.  Next add meatballs and beans and heat both through.  
4. Add salt and pepper to taste and top with cheese.  

Enjoy on a cold winter night!  I hope you like it as much as I do!