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1
Start by adding the Parmesan cheese, rosemary, and thyme into the food processor. Blend until fully chopped.
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2
Once blended, spoon the Parmesan mix into a medium-sized bowl with 1 lb. of ground turkey. Then add 1/4 a cup of turkey broth, pepper to taste (I used 1 tbsp.), 1 pinch of sea salt, egg white, and bread crumbs.
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3
Knead the ingredients into the ground turkey until fully mixed. Roll the meat in your hands and shape into 1inch balls. Place the meatballs on a cutting board or parchment paper and set aside (yields approximately 21 meatballs).
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4
Heat a medium skillet with olive oil- enough to coat the bottom of the skillet.
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5
While heating your olive oil, bring the remaining 4 cups of turkey broth and 3 cups of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add 1 tbsp. of pepper, 3 hearty pinches of salt (I used all 5 fingertips lol), 5 more sprigs of thyme, 2 more sprigs of rosemary, 1/4 a cup of Parsley and boil while you cook your meatballs. Allow the herbs to wilt. The sprigs will become duller in color. Stir periodically.
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6
Once the olive oil is hot, add 5-6 meatballs to the skillet and cover.
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7
**The oil will sizzle a bit, but should not pop. If it begins to pop uncontrollably, reduce your heat and continue cooking.
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8
Check the meatballs as you go. You want them to have a golden brown sear on each side. I let the meatballs cook on each side for approximately 45 seconds to 1 minute.
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9
**For every 6 meatballs in the skillet, it took roughly 7-8 minutes to cook completely through (turning on all sides). The timing is not a perfect science. Make sure to watch the meatballs as they cook and reduce your heat to medium/high halfway through. The oil will get extremely hot- making the meatballs cook faster.
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10
Once cooked through, put the meatballs on a paper towel covered plate. Continue cooking the meatballs- 6 at a time.
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11
**Let them rest. Do not cut into the balls for a few minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat.
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12
Using a slotted spoon, remove the rosemary and thyme from the stockpot before adding your remaining ingredients. Stir.
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13
Add the orzo and stir immediately to ensure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
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14
Add 2 cups of kale and let it cook down for 30 seconds. Then add the remaining 2 cups of kale and stir.
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15
Add 1.5 cups of butternut squash to your broth and stir well mixing all the ingredients together.
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16
Reduce the heat to medium and let the kale, squash, and orzo marry together. Simmer for 5 minutes.
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17
Stir and taste. If you would like more salt or pepper, add to taste.
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18
Let simmer for another 3 minutes.
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19
Carefully add your meatballs into the stockpot and stir.
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20
Turn the heat to medium low and let simmer for another 3 minutes.
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21
Garnish with Parmesan cheese, cozy up, and enjoy!
