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.
1(14½ ounce) can Diced Tomatoes (we used fire roasted diced tomatoes)
6cupsChicken Broth
⅔cupOrzoor other tiny pasta
5-6ouncesFresh Spinach
Saltif 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.