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The finished soup served in a blue bowl on a blue and white ornate linen.
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Turkey Meatball Soup

This turkey meatball soup is light yet satisfying. In addition to the ground turkey meatballs, this soup is loaded with vegetables, orzo, tomatoes, spices and greens.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword ground turkey, meatballs
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 374kcal
Author Elizabeth

Ingredients

Turkey Meatballs Ingredients

  • 1 pound Ground Turkey
  • ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Minced Onion
  • 1 Garlic Clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Egg

Soup Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion finely diced
  • 1 Carrot diced
  • 1 Celery Rib diced
  • 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 1 (14½ ounce) can Diced Tomatoes (we used fire roasted diced tomatoes)
  • 6 cups Chicken Broth
  • cup Orzo or other tiny pasta
  • 5-6 ounces Fresh Spinach
  • Salt if needed at the end

Instructions

  • You will also need: Cooking spray or parchment paper, baking sheet
  • Preheat 350°F

Form the Meatballs

  • Add the ground turkey, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, minced onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and the egg to a large bowl.
  • Use a fork (or your hands) to combine the ground turkey mixture. Do not overwork the meat, mix just enough to incorporate the ingredients.
  • Form the ground turkey mixture into balls that are roughly 1 - 1½ inch in diameter.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray with cooking spray. Place the meatballs on the pan leaving some space between them so they’re not touching. You should get about 22 – 24 meatballs.

Bake the meatballs

  • Bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until fully cooked (internal temperature of 165°F).

Start the soup while the meatballs are in the oven

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the garlic and oregano, cook 1 minute while stirring.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth, while gently scrapping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil (it will take about 4-5 minutes).
  • Once the broth is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Keep the soup at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
  • Add the orzo to the soup, cover the pot and cook for 5 minutes (still on medium-low). Stir occasionally to keep the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  • Carefully add the meatballs to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium to medium-low (keep the liquid at a simmer) and cook, covered, another 5 minutes or so until the orzo is al dente. Stir the soup occasionally, to keep the orzo from sticking to the bottom.
  • Add the spinach to the pot and stir as you add it in. Continue cooking the soup for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
  • Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.

Notes

Ground turkey can be a little sticky to work with. Refrigerating the mixture for a while before forming the meatballs helps. Also, rubbing a little bit of oil on your hands a few times while forming the meatballs will make it a little easier.
Hold off until the end to add extra salt to this soup because the chicken broth and canned tomatoes both contain a good amount already.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 2237mg | Potassium: 1234mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6240IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 5mg