Italian Wedding Soup

From Wikipedia: Wedding soup consists of green vegetables (usually endive and escarole or cabbage, lettuce, kale, and/or spinach) and meats (usually meatballs and/or sausage) in a clear chicken-based broth. Wedding soup sometimes contains pasta, noodles, cavatelli, lentils, or shredded chicken. The term "wedding soup" is a mistranslation of the Italian minestra maritata, which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together.

I made a Kimkins-friendly variation with Honeysuckle ground white turkey and spinach.

Italian Wedding Soup
Servings: 8

Ingredients
Meatballs:
2 pound extra-lean ground white turkey
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 Tbs. Italian Seasoning
4 Tbs. dried grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste (maybe 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper)
dash of dried red pepper flakes, if desired

Soup:
8 cups chicken broth
1 10 - oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained,(approx. 1 cup) OR 6 cups fresh spinach, washed, and chopped (I used a 16 oz. bag, because we like spinach!)
more Italian cheese for topping (opt.)

1) Mix all meatball ingredients, handling lightly. Adjust to taste. (You can sample by cooking up one little meatball first.)

2) Form into small meatballs. (I used a measuring spoon to scoop meatballs.)

3) Brown meatballs in skillet or in 350 degree oven on foil-lined baking sheet.

4) In large pot, heat broth to boiling.

5) Reduce heat. Add meatballs and spinach. simmer at least 20 minutes.

Variations:
Use other green vegetables, like broccoli rabe, escarole, kale, zucchini, etc.
Use other meats, like Italian sausage.
Scramble one or two eggs (perhaps with 1 - 2 Tbs. grated Parmesan/Romano cheese) and pour slowly through a fork into boiling broth for an egg drop effect.

I served this with extra cheese for my family to add on top, and also a McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder for a flavor boost.
Reheats beautifully!

Nutrient Info
For Entire Recipe: 1504 calories, 37 g fat, 28 g carb, 254 g protein
Per Serving: 188 calories, 4.6 g fat, 3.5 g carb, 32 g protein

Adding more spinach or other greens will boost the carb count slightly, but also add more nutrition.