Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

I love soups and next to baking, it's probably my favorite thing to cook.  Sometimes I daydream of having a simple cafe that just serves soups, a couple of choices of sandwiches and tasty cookies and cakes.  I just love how the house smells and feels when I have a pot of soup simmering.  But here's the thing; my darling and loving husband in a very Seinfeld-esque way does not feel that soup is a meal.  He does not dislike eating soup, but anytime I would make soup for dinner his response was- "And what else?" Just soup was not enough.  So I decided one day to make a soup that would be worthy of being a meal all by itself.  I did not go to the store to shop for the specific items for this soup and each time I make it, it's slightly different because I improvise with whatever is in the pantry or freezer.  Sometimes I have tortellini on hand, sometimes I just have some sort of shaped pasta.  The meatballs in the soup are something you could make and keep frozen some to have with pasta and sauce, some for making in a soup.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

For meatballs:
1 lb package ground turkey
2 tbl Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed garlic)
¼ c. bread crumbs (optional)
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
2 pinches of Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:  Add 1 lb of Italian sausage (either pork or turkey)

1.     Mix ground turkey (and sausage if using) with seasonings, bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. 
2.    Roll into 1 inch diameter balls and then place in shallow baking dish to bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (but check for doneness) or fry in batches on stove top if desired. 
3.    Set aside (can be made in one day in advance then refrigerated or make ahead and freeze for later use.)

For soup:
3     tablespoon olive oil
1     clove of garlic crushed or 2 tsp garlic powder
2     large carrots, diced
2     ribs of celery, diced
Small amount of diced sweet onion (about ¼ cup or less)
2     cups water
4     cups chicken broth
1     tablespoon dried vegetable soup mix
1     teaspoon kosher salt
2.5     cups assorted fresh or frozen vegetables- broccoli, baby carrots, cauliflower, cut corn, green beans (use whatever veggies you like)
1     can diced or crushed tomatoes (if diced, you can mash them yourself or leave as is)
1     16 oz package cheese tortellini
    Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions
1.    In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté olive oil, garlic, diced carrots, celery and onion.  Sauté until mixture is soft and starting to caramelize.

2.    Add water, chicken stock and vegetable soup mix.  Stir, then raise heat and bring to boil.

3.    Add assorted vegetables, tomatoes, salt and meatballs, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes but be sure to check on it and stir occasionally.

4.    Raise heat to medium, add tortellini and simmer until they float to top and expand, about 10 minutes.

5.    Serve and provide parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.