Mexican Wedding Soup

Just when you thought Spring was here, winter’s last gasp happens.

It has barely gotten above 40 degrees today. This past weekend, however, I was planning a routine springtime festivity: morel mushroom hunting.

This weather is whacky, y’all.

Since we’re still experiencing slightly subzero temperatures, soup recipes are still on my mind. I’ve slowed down cooking soup recipes the last several weeks. Instead of one a week, I’ve been making one every few weeks. Here pretty soon they will be completely in the rearview as summer takes hold.

This recipe was born out of a need to make something with a bunch of cilantro I had acquired. I love Italian wedding soup and thought a Mexican version would be a great way to use up my excess cilantro.

Most of the traditional Italian wedding soup ingredients are found in this soup, including acini di pepe pasta. Other than that, this is a vastly different soup in terms of flavor. It’s a little spicy, so feel free to reduce the number of jalapeno peppers.

Enjoy!

Mexican Wedding Soup

Servings: 8-10
Time: 45 mins
Difficulty: Easy
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A Mexican version of classic Italian wedding soup with pasta, meatballs, kale, peppers and corn.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey

2 jalapeno peppers, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 bunch of cilantro, minced

1 TBS. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 pkg. taco seasoning

6 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

2 cups frozen corn

1 bunch kale, chopped

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

1.5 cups acini di pepe pasta

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey with half the diced jalapeno, 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and egg until well combined. Using your hands, roll meat mixture into 1″ balls (this makes about 20 meatballs).
Heat oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add half of the meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove from pan to a paper-towel lined plate and cook remaining meatballs. Remove them to a plate when browned.
Add onion, bell pepper and remaining jalapeno to the pot. Saute until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Add broth, water, tomatoes, pasta, taco seasoning, and corn. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add meatballs carefully back to the soup. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes.
A few minutes before cooking time is up, stir in kale and remaining cilantro. Let heat through thoroughly and then serve.