Meatball soup for couscous.

Another variation on meatball soup. Same meatballs, different vegetables - new soup. Easy and convenient to serve over couscous or quinoa.

Turkey meatballs soup with butternut squash, green beans, carrots, zucchini and cabbage

Turkey Meatballs Soup with butternut squash, carrots, cabbage, zucchini and green beans
(суп с фрикадельками)

Ingredients

For the meatballs
- ground turkey, dark meat, 1 pound (or other meat of your choice)
- onion, 1 medium chopped
- carrot, 1 grated
- parsley, 2 tables spoons chopped
- egg, 1
- sea salt, 1/2 tablespoon or to taste
- black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- turmeric, to taste 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- paprika, to taste 1/2 teaspoon or to taste

For the rest of the soup
- carrots, 2 small, peeled
- parsnip, 1, peeled (optional)
- butternut squash, 1/2, peeled and cut to bite size pieces
- cabbage, about half a pound, chopped
- green beans, 1/4 a pound, cut to bite size pieces
- zucchini, 1 medium, cut to bite size pieces
- sea salt, to taste
- tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (optional)
- bay leave, 1-2
- parsley strings (optional)
- oregano, dry, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- chilli flakes, to taste (optional)
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- turmeric, to taste

Method

In a large pot, boil water. Put in carrots, butternut squash and parsnip. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in large mixing bowl and mix well with your hands. Wet your hands and form small meatballs. As you form them, gently drop each meatball into boiling water. Lower the heat to low. Add the spices - bay leaves, oregano and parsley strings and let the soup simmer to 15 minutes. Add rest of the vegetables, salt and salt and cook for another 15 minutes. The vegetables can be easily pierced with fork.


Enjoy over couscous, white or wholewheat or cooked quinoa for gluten free version.

Mac and cheese. With sweet potatoes and carrots.

Are you using mac and cheese boxes?
Boxed mac and cheese is a children favorite. It is comforting. The kids are happy to see it on their plates. I used to make mac and cheese from scratch, but after eating the box version in a friends house, my kids started to ask me to buy it.  After some time I gave in.  Lately I serve it to the kids couple times a month. It is convenient and saves time.

Mac and cheese with sweet potato and carrot

How to make it healthier? And yummier?

To boost mac and cheese with vegetables, you can add pureed vegetables. I like orange vegetables - sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash. My children know I add it and learned to love it.

For me, it is important to check the ingredient list. I like the organic version Trader Joe's sells. The list is short - organic pasta shells (organic durum wheat semolina, organic wheat), organic white cheddar cheese (organic cultured pasteurized milk, salt,enzymes), organic whey, salt, disodium phosphate.

Here is a version using sweet potatoes and carrots, any other combination can be used. Cauliflower is on my list to try.

Mac and cheese with sweet potatoes and carrots

Ingredients
Butternut squash, 1 small,  peeled and cut to 1 inch pieces
Sweet potatoes, 1 small, peeled and cut to 1 inch pieces
Mac and cheese, 1 box (I used organic Trader Joe's mac and cheese, gluten free version works the same way)
butter, 1 tablespoon or to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated, 1 tablespoon or to taste

butternut squash

Sweet potatoes in carrots cooked

Note: When starting to introduce vegetable puree blends, you might want to increase the amounts gradually, starting from 1/4 cup and building it up. We use now about 2 cups. Leftover vegetables can be used in your other recipes.

Method 
Steam orange vegetables in a steamer basket or in large pot or skillet covered for 15 minutes until soft. Puree using blender or smash with fork the amount you will use for mac and cheese. Prepare pasta according to the instruction. Leave 1/4 cup of cooking pasta water. Mix into pasta together the cheese package, pasta water, butternut squash and sweet potato puree, butter and Parmesan cheese.
Cook on low heat for 3 minutes to blend the tastes.

You may consider to make double and enjoy it yourself!