It’s (kindof) soup weather in Vegas! It’s still really warm, but it’s been gloomy out and raining all day. All I’ve wanted to do today is come home and curl up on the couch with a blanket, soup, and my husband to watch How I Met Your Mother. Now that I’m getting home from work earlier, I actually have time to cook AND relax! It’s pretty great. Here’s what I think is one of the BEST soups I’ve ever had! It has so much flavor and it comes together quickly. Give it a try! (This recipe is my healthier adaptation of a recipe on food.com)

Ingredients:
(for the meatballs)
– 3/4 lb lean ground turkey
– 1/4 lb raw chorizo (pork or beef)
– 1 egg
– 2 cloves of garlic, minced
– 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
– 1 finely grated carrot
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/4 tsp black pepper

(for the soup)
– 1 tbs olive oil
– 1 cup diced celery
– 1 cup diced onion
– 6 cups low sodium beef broth
– 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
– 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
– 1/2 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp dried oregano
– 1 large zucchini, sliced

Directions:
1. Begin by making the meatballs. In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and combine thoroughly with your hands.

2. Wet your hands and form small meatballs out of the ground meat mixture. Place them on a baking sheet or cutting board. You should end up with 35-40 small, 3/4″ diameter meatballs.

3. Refrigerate the meatballs while completing the following steps. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium/ high heat. Add the diced celery and onion to the hot oil and stir around for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

4. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, cilantro, cumin, and oregano to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Carefully drop the meatballs into the boiling soup one by one. Bring the heat down to a gentle boil and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

6. Finally, add the sliced zucchini and simmer for 5-10 minutes more.

I hope you like this soup as much as Colby and I did! The above recipe makes about 8 servings.