Turkey Meatballs in an Easy Soup with Spinach and Orzo! Make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them whenever you need them for a quick weeknight meal.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
These baby meatballs are so cute you’ll fall in love with them instantly. Mix them up with your hands in a bowl with some parmesan and some parsley – you’ll feel like an Italian nonna!
Meatballs were traditionally made from leftover meat, often pork or beef, and stale bread. They were an emergency meal for people who had little.
These days, most of us only buy ground beef at the store when the craving hits. But meatballs are still an economical meal, especially when mixed with sandwich bread or leftover buns that need to be used up.
I like to quickly sear the meatballs to brown their outsides, but you can skip this step if you’re in a hurry. Then just cook them in chicken broth along with orzo and spinach. A grated Parmesan added at the end brings out the flavor of the cheese in the meatballs and adds to the delicious flavor in your bowl.
Turkey Meatball Soup with Spinach and Orzo
If you want to skip the instructions for browning the meatballs, simply drop them straight into the simmering broth from a long-handled spoon.
To make the meatballs in advance, place the rolled meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until set. Then place the meatballs in a plastic freezer bag. Thaw them in the fridge overnight before cooking.
ingredients
For the meatballs:
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2 slices White bread or 1 soft bun (about 3 inches wide), left overnight
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1/4 cup (60 ml) whole or reduced-fat milk
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1 lbig egg
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1/4 cup (32G) grated parmesan cheese
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1 lb ground turkeypreferably dark meat or at least 85% lean meat
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
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2 tablespoon olive oil
For the soup:
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2 tablespoon olive oil
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2 stems celeryhalved lengthways and thinly sliced
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3 Middle carrotsthinly sliced
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1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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8 cups (2000 ml) chicken broth
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1/2 cup (70G) orzo
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8 loosely packed cups (5 ounces) Infant spinachwith all long stems removed
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1 cup (128G) grated ParmesanTo serve
method
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Make the Meatball Mixture:
Using your fingers, break up the bread or bun into 1/2-inch pieces. In a bowl, combine the bread or roll, milk, egg, parmesan, turkey, salt, pepper, and parsley. Work the mixture with a clean hand until well blended.
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Shape meatballs:
With wet hands, form 2 teaspoons of the mixture into a small, walnut-sized meatball (1 1/2 inch diameter). Repeat, making 30 to 34 meatballs total.
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Fry the meatballs (optional):
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, add half the meatballs and cook for 3 minutes or until browned on the bottom. Flip and fry for another 2 minutes until browned on the other side. Take out of the pan. (The meatballs will not be cooked through.)
Cook the remaining meatballs in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same manner.
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Prepare soup:
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add celery, carrots, salt and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and orzo. Bring the soup back to a boil, reduce the heat and cover the pot.
Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is tender (cut the meatballs in half to check; taste the orzo).
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Add spinach:
Add the spinach to the soup and cook an additional 2 minutes, or until it wilts.
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Serve soup:
Taste the soup for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you like. Pour into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 579 | calories |
| 34g | Fat |
| 30g | carbohydrates |
| 38g | protein |
