turkeyball soup with green cabbage and thyme

Now that we're starting to see the first fresh green cabbages at the farmer's markets, I thought this would be a good time to revist and update one of my most popular posts: turkeyball soup with fresh cabbage and thyme. Why it's been in the top ten recipes since I first published it in January of 2009, I have no idea, except it's a wonderful soup!

This is a modest update of the recipe. It's still a delightful herby broth with a little rice, thyme, parsley, and rosemary and tender meatballs of turkey - now with a little minced onion and mushroom. You can slice the fresh cabbage either thinly (bottom photo) or thicker (top). You can make huge meatballs, or little teeny ones, but the result will always be one delicious soup, perfect for the chilly evenings of September.

Makes 4 servings.

For the turkeyballs:

1 pound ground turkey

2 mushrooms, finely minced

1 T. olive oil

1 T. minced parsley

2 T. minced onion

1 1/2 t. thyme, fresh or dried

pinch kosher salt

Mix the ingredients well in a bowl, then form into small meatballs. Set aside.

For the soup:

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3 cups water

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 t. thyme

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 T. uncooked rice ( any kind)

half a green cabbage, cored and cut into thin or thick ribbons.

( about 3-4 handfuls of cabbage)

the turkey meatballs

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Heat the water, chicken broth, rice, and rosemary sprigs in a large saucepan. Turn the heat to medium low and add the thyme and cabbage. Simmer for five minutes, then carefully place the turkeyballs on top of the cabbage. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook for ten minutes, then take off heat and let sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.

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Uncover soup and gently stir, tasting to see if it needs more salt, pepper, or thyme.

Serve with a nice crusty sourdough bread and enjoy!

turkeyball soup with fresh cabbage & thyme

My kids always made fun of my name for this soup - but I noticed they sure ate it up fast. It's simply fresh ground turkey mixed with herbs and gently simmered in chicken broth and thinly sliced cabbage. It's a nice, light meal for winter, and perfect for those January diets we all start after the holidays.

You will need:

1 pound ground turkey

2 cups chicken stock ( and 2 cups water)

1 t. dried thyme

salt and pepper

1 T. fresh Italian parsley, minced fine

2 handfuls thinly sliced cabbage

2 T. scallions ( green onions) chopped

2 rosemary sprigs

1 t. herbes de provence

more thyme if needed

Mix the parsley and 1 t. thyme, plus salt and pepper, into the raw turkey. Form into small, marble sized balls and set aside.

Heat the chicken broth with the water and rosemary sprigs. Turn heat to medium and add the cabbage. Simmer until cabbage is tender - about 15 minutes.

Add the herbes de provence and scallions to the broth, and gently float the turkeyballs on the top. Cook until the turkey is cooked through - about ten minutes.

Ladle into soup bowls and add a little parsley or scallions to bowl.

Enjoy!