Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup
A quick and easy hearty soup for any night of the week. And you can even cook/prep/freeze the meatballs beforehand!
I recently had to fly to NY for a quick work trip but I brought back a very nasty cold. So even though it’s not exactly soup weather in California, this turkey meatball soup was just what I needed.
It’s an incredibly hearty, cozy soup with big, plump turkey meatballs and wilted spinach throughout. It’s perfect for a cold night or even as a light lunch for any season.
You can also prep the meatballs beforehand and throw it in the soup when ready to serve. Just know that after this, you may want to add turkey meatballs in all of your soups!
Turkey Meatball and Spinach Soup
A quick and easy hearty soup for any night of the week. And you can even cook/prep/freeze the meatballs beforehand!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ⅓ cup Panko
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, Panko, Parmesan, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in meatballs; reduce heat and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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great meatballs! damn, I love it! I want to make it 😀
Hi!
I’m really excited to try this recipe but I have man in the house whose stomach won’t be satisfied with a vegetable soup and meatballs (no matter how many meatballs he gets).
Do you have any suggestions for sides that would work well with this soup?
Thanks!
My absolute favorite side dish is the garlic parmesan roasted potatoes. But please feel free to check out all of my side dish recipes here.
Thanks for the suggestion! I made the soup & meatballs and love them! Your recipe for the roasted potatoes is also a winner 🙂
Thank you!
Made this tonight, it was so delicious!
I made this the other night and it was delicious! It’s hard to find good ground turkey recipes but this is one of the best recipes I’ve tried and it’s a keeper. My husband brought it for lunch the next day and said it was even better. Thank you!
How much extra flavour do you think the parmesan gives the soup? If I had to leave it out would it be a big loss?
Nope – there should be plenty of flavor to go around even without the Parmesan – it’s simply an added bonus. 🙂
Making this now and it smells great! Just wondered if you have tried freezing it?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Since the Parmesan is added prior to serving, this should freeze well.
I make a chicken wild rice soup as well as a vegetable soup that freezes well. I often make a double batch with freezing in mind. I do like to add Green’s such as spinach or kale to brought the soups. With the turkey meatball soup, I will plan to leave the green’s out of the portion of the soup that will be frozen or reheated a night later so that they don’t end up being over cooked. The plan is then to add the greens partway through the reheating process before serving. When using kale, I remove the tough spines/stems as they can tend to be bitter. I also chop up the kale fairly fine to make it more easily chewable.
I have been using your recipes for a couple of meals now and I love them. I love to cook but don’t have much time. These are all so simple!!! Thanks for this Blog!
If I’m gluten free – what would you suggest to substitute for panko?
I recommend substituting gluten-free Panko breadcrumbs.
I use the gluten free panko breadcrumbs and will occasionally add in a gluten free pasta and it tastes great!
Reminds me a bit of Italian Wedding Soup which equals deliciousness. Simpler though! Can’t wait to try it. And yes. The northeast has an “instantly catchy cold” circulating as fast as hurricane Joaquin lol. Feel better!
Derrrrriiicouussss!!! I’ve been looking for a soup and this may be it! Thanks so much for the recipe. Pinned 🙂
This is definitely just what you need when you’re not feeling well! Hope you get better asap. Pinning this soul soothing soup!
Great soup- warming, filling and yummy!
I love meatballs in soup – it’s a great change to shredded or chopped meats. This soup looks so fresh and delicious!! Can’t wait to make it! I hope you’re feeling better, Chungah!!
Looks amazing! You have such a gift for making recipes simple and straight forward!
This looks delicious, but when do you put the spinach in?
You can add the spinach at the very end, just until wilted.