Italian Wedding Soup with Israeli Couscous

Paige Erlich
Recipe by
Paige Erlich

This is one of my favorite soups to make, especially when it starts to get cold; it tastes like a giant cozy bowl of comfort. It’s also a one-pot meal, my version having little turkey meatballs, Israeli couscous, and lots of veggies. Make it before Shabbat to last throughout the weekend and into the start of your week!

Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS:
1lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup nutritional yeast or Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
*******
FOR THE SOUP:
1 cup Israeli couscous
8 cups chicken broth
1-2 lemons
3 carrots
3 celery ribs
1 onion
Half bunch of dinosaur kale
2 cloves garlic
Handful dill
Chili flakes to taste
Directions

Prep the meatballs:

  1. Combine all ingredients (ground turkey, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast or Parmesan, egg, oil, salt, and pepper). 
  2. Roll into balls and set aside.

Prep additional ingredients:

  1. Make Israeli couscous according to package directions and set aside.
  2. Prep additional ingredients and set aside:
  • Juice lemons.
  • Tear apart pieces of dinosaur kale.
  • Chop carrots, celery ribs, and onion, and mince the garlic.

Make the soup:

  1. Sauté onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and onion until slightly browned.
  2. Pour in 8 cups of chicken broth (and some water, if you want to expand it) and a few sprinkles of chili flakes, then carefully add in the raw meatballs.
  3. Bring to a boil, then turn it down to simmer at low.
  4. Cook until meatballs are cooked through and float to the top.
  5. Turn the heat off and stir in the kale and lemon juice, tasting as you go. (You might not want it all!) 
  6. Add in couscous just before serving, and top with dill.
Additional Notes

Nutritional yeast is vegan but has a cheesy flavor. Feel free to use grated Parmesan instead, if you do not keep kosher.