With the arrival of September in New Hampshire, the feel of fall is omnipresent.  Although the days can be warm, the nights are cold, with temperatures dipping into the 40s.  Thus, our menu begins its transformation from salads and fresh produce to soups and homemade bread.

Earlier in the week, the sky was overcast, rain showers were predicted for the majority of the day, and the temperature hovered in the low 60s.  With weather such as this, it seemed like the perfect day to allow a pot of soup to simmer on the stove for the day.

While a chicken broth-based soup sounded perfect, I didn’t want to make traditional chicken noodle soup.  Knowing that I had ground turkey in the freezer, turkey meatballs seemed like a great ingredient for the soup.  With such a hearty element to this soup, I decided not to add pasta or rice.  Instead, a few vegetables added to the soup would give it a variety of colors, flavors, and textures.

When the kids arrived home from school, they could smell the soup and excitedly asked how long it was until dinner.  Sadly, dinner was 3 hours away, but happily they were looking forward to that night’s meal!  To help pass the time until dinner, the kids helped by making homemade breadsticks to accompany the soup.

There were rave reviews about the soup, though our ten year old did question the presence of spinach in her soup.  However, with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the soup, the meal was enjoyed by all.

Side note, if this recipe isn’t filling enough for you, feel free to serve it with cooked rice or pasta.