Turkey Meatball Soup with Orzo
- PREP 15min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 45min
This simple, hearty soup recipe made with mini turkey meatballs, orzo, and kale is fantastic. It’s my favorite kind of feel good food. When you’re shopping for the ground turkey, look for at least 7% fat, any leaner, and the meatballs will turn out dry and crumbly. I love this soup served with a generous dusting of parmesan cheese, but that’s totally optional.
You Will Need
1 pound ground turkey, preferably ground dark meat with at least 7% fat (450g)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more as needed
¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon gochugaru pepper flakes, Aleppo pepper flakes, or crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 medium onion, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon ground fennel
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 cups chicken stock (1.89L)
2 bay leaves
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 ¼ cup dried orzo (6oz or 170g)
Finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano, for serving, optional
Directions
1Make the meatballs: Add the ground turkey to a bowl with 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, smoked paprika, and gochugaru. Mix well, then pinch off quarter-sized balls and roll into mini meatballs (you should get around 35).
2Brown the meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown the meatballs in batches, cooking them in one layer so they get a little color on all sides. They do not need to be fully cooked. Once browned, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3Cook the veggies: Check the pot, if it seems dry, add a little extra olive oil. Then, add the onion, carrots, garlic, fennel, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring everything around the pan for about 4 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
4Simmer: Stir in the meatballs, lightly season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 10 minutes. It will taste light on flavor at first, but as the soup simmers, the meatballs will perfume the broth.
5Add the pasta: Stir in the orzo and cook until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.
6To finish: Stir in the chopped kale leaves and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until wilted and tender, but still bright green. Taste, adjust seasoning as needed, then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. As this soup sits, the orzo absorbs some of the broth. When reheating, add a splash of extra broth (or even a little water) to bring it back to a brothy soup.
- Smoked paprika and fennel: I like the smokiness when ¾ teaspoon of smoked paprika is added to the meatballs, but you can bump it up a bit for a stronger, smokier flavor. Same goes for the fennel. This soup takes the fennel flavor really well, so if you love it, feel free to add a little more to taste.
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates.