Last week, I took a little break from my computer while vacationing with my family in Costa Rica. It was an absolutely amazing trip and the perfect opportunity to rest, relax, disconnect, and catch up on my reading and family time. Somehow with all that sleep and time in the sun, I still managed to come home with a cold.  I’m sure a lot of you can relate to feeling under the weather right now – ’tis the season for getting sick! And when I’m sick, the last thing I want to do is spend time cooking dinner and cleaning up a bunch of dishes. Trying to decide what easy meal to make for dinner, I flipped through the latest issue of Cooking Light for inspiration and started drooling over their recipe for Chickpea and Sausage Minestrone. There’s just nothing better than a hearty, healthy soup when you’re sick, and an added bonus is that it’s usually just a one-pot clean-up.  I happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, but instead of sausage, I decided to use my favorite Trader Joe’s Frozen Turkey Meatballs. These are great because they’re low-cal, high protein, super tasty, and really easy to throw a soup while it’s cooking. 

This soup did not disappoint. It’s got SO much flavor, a little spice, fresh herbs, and tons of veggies – exactly what I was craving. And what’s better with soup than a crunchy, cheesy crostini to dip in the hot broth? I did my own take on the Cooking Light Ciabatta Parmesan Toasts to make them just a bit lighter and more flavorful, and they turned out so delicious. Best part – this whole meal was done in about 20 minutes.

This soup is definitely my new go-to. Whether I’m sick or not, it’s just the perfect hearty, healthy comfort food. Feel free to use the Turkey Meatballs like I did, or substitute ground turkey or sausage, or go meatless for a healthy vegetarian dinner.

Ok let’s do it, Turkey Meatball Minestrone, ready set go! 

Ingredients
Adapted from Cooking Light’s Chickpea and Sausage Minestrone3/4 cup uncooked small shell pasta1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 package Trader Joe’s frozen Turkey Meatballs
1 package Mirepoix (or 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced carrot, 1/2 cup diced celery)
2 tbsp  fresh flat-leaf parsley – chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme – chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
5 garlic cloves – chopped
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans – drained and rinsed
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt & pepper to tasteParmesan Ciabatta Crostini

 fresh ciabatta bread – sliced
1 garlic clove
Drizzle of olive oil
Freshly shaved parmesan cheese1 tsp fresh thyme

• Cook pasta according to package instructions. 
• While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in pot and add Mirepoix, parsley, thyme, red pepper, and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add garbanzo beans, tomatoes, broth, and turkey meatballs. Bring to a boil.
• Reudce heat to a simmer and add cooked pasta shells. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and shaved parmesan cheese.
• For the crostini:
• Slice the ciabatta bread and rub a clove of garlic firmly on the bread. This will give the taste of garlic but won’t be too overpowering. Next, drizzle with olive oil. Add parmesan and a pinch of thyme over the top.
• Place toasts on a baking sheet, and put under broiler (on high) for about 10 seconds or until browned and cheese is melted.
• Serve with hot soup!

Hope this soup gets you through cold season! Enjoy!