A New Year's Resol-soup-tion

It's been almost a month since my last blog post, and while I haven't written in a while, I can assure you that this time has been filled with lots of cooking, eating, and drinking (repeat that sequence about 14 times). From gingerbread cookies to Gaga's lasagna, it's been a nonstop comfort-food-filled-and-sugar-high month.

To "make up" for a month's worth of indulgences, many people vow to be healthier or go to the gym in the new year. Frankly, this annoys me. First of all, these gym newbies take over all the treadmills from us regular gym-goers from January until those resolutions grow stale. Let's be honest people: flocking to the gym on January 1st isn't going to get rid of the 5 chocolate Santa's you gobbled up in December. And the "be more healthy" resolution is perhaps even more of an empty promise than the born-again gym rats. In order to be more healthy, you need to set real, tangible goals (i.e. cook at home more, eat smaller portions). The reason so many of these resolutions fail is that they are too elusive to see any real progress or change, so people just give up. But if you take easy, measurable steps, you're much more likely to stick to and succeed at your goals.

Now I'm not here to lecture. What do I really know about resolutions and life goals? I'm mostly just bitter about the new guy at the gym who's always walking on my favorite treadmill (WALKING, not even running!!) But I am here to share a delicious recipe for Italian Wedding Soup. I came across a recipe last week via Pinterest (check out my page!) that piqued my interest. I'm not sure why, as I've never actually had or made Italian Wedding Soup, but something about the meatballs and kale sounded enticingly healthy, yet still satisfying. And I was right. This soup feels and tastes like the ultimate comfort food, without weighing you down after. Forget your "be more healthy" resolution; making more meals, like this soup, should be a resolution in itself!

Italian Wedding Soup (adapted from The Kitchn)
makes 5-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey meat (or ground chicken)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic gloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped (I used an entire 10 oz. bag from Trader Joe's)

1. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of each cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. You should have about 20-25 meatballs.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches until lightly browned on all sides. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.
3. In a large stock pot, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the kale, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, combine 2 eggs and remaining cheeses in a small bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the hot soup, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer until the eggs are just set, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.