cranberry bean & turkey meatball soup

Introducing: the cranberry bean!!

I hadn’t even heard of tonight’s featured ingredient until the baker & I were perusing the gluten-free section of our local market weekend before last and found said beans in the Bob's Red Mill section {a good brand to know about if gluten is a no-no for you}. Cranberry beans? Really?

The dried bean is cream-colored with deep red streaks that disappear when cooked. And like our other bean-y friends, the cranberry bean (also known as the borlotti bean) is chock full of fiber and protein. Just 1 cup of the beans (dried) contain about 18 grams of fiber, 17 grams of protein, and 20% of daily recommended value of iron. In the proverbial boxing ring of healthy foods, this one floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.



And if you need help remembering all the good stuff iron, fiber, and protein do for you, check any of the previous posts where beans are a featured ingredient.

This is probably the first recipe concocted since the birth of this blog where I actually planned ahead. Don't expect to see a whole lot more of that. Because the dried beans need to be soaked overnight, an impromptu recipe was out of the question. So without further ado, this is what you do ...

Prep
Soak 1. cup cranberry beans in at least 3 c. of water overnight in an uncovered bowl or dish.

Basic Turkey Meatballs
1 – 1 ¼ lbs ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper
Gluten-free baking mix

Add beaten egg together with ground turkey and baking mix (use enough to bind meatballs, approximately ¼+ cup).

Roll into balls.

Other Ingredients:
½ lb. frozen spinach
28 oz diced tomatoes (2 small cans or 1 large)
½ large yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. dried basil
1 c. chopped carrots
2 – 32 oz. containers vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

After draining beans, place in a large pot on the stove top.
Add tomatoes, spinach, onion, garlic, basil, carrots, and uncooked meatballs
Pour in broth until all other ingredients are covered.
Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours, stirring periodically.

Serving suggestion:
Try with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread. It is thick & moist & delicious and better than any gluten-laden cornbread I’ve ever had, I kid you not (but please don’t tell my mom I told you so).

Or, try without meatballs for a vegetarian dish.

photos by kirsten.michelle