Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs
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A hearty, freezer-friendly soup chockfull of fresh garden vegetables. A classic summertime dinner!
I know. Soup in the summertime? Have I gone mad? Well, maybe but I find that there’s something even more cozy about soup this time of year.
You know, as you drip sweat in the 98 degree summer heat and humidity. But don’t worry. We’re using up all of our favorite garden vegetables/staples here with homemade turkey meatballs. It’s pure summer comfort in a bowl with the tender simmering veggies and the refreshing lemon kick in every single bite.
And this soup is very freezer-friendly for your summer needs all year long. But I recommend cooking your veggies slightly firm so they can hold up during freezing and reheating.
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork or ground beef can be used instead of ground turkey.
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta when serving.
Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup ditalini pasta
- 2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
For the turkey meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- ⅓ cup Panko
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, Panko, Parmesan, garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes, if using; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-to-1-inch meatballs, forming about 30-32 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 oil to the stockpot. 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 and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta and meatballs; reduce heat and simmer until pasta is tender and meatballs are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in zucchini and spinach until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Good but the zucchini was raw and no one liked it. I will make it again but put the zucchini in with the meatballs and pasta. That will cook it more. Thanks.
So bright and delicious! Also quick and easy. A keeper for sure. Thanks for the recipe!!
I doubled the lemon juice. It was delicious!
This was a really tasty soup! Thanks for a great recipe.
Made this tonight with a few changes because of allergies. For the meatballs I skipped the parmesan cheese and used Trader Joe’s gluten free rice crumbs in place of the panko. They turned out great! I followed the soup recipe except used brown rice in place of the pasta. This was such a flavorful soup…so good! My family loved it too! It will definitely be added to my list of favorite recipes and not just as a summer soup!
Of course, I made changes, because I use what I have…I used any pasta on hand. I made double everything except water, only 6 cups. I forgot the zucchini, but added other vegies. Delicious!!!!!!!
Tried browning little chicken balls as the picture looked. Over cooked before adding back to soup to finish off. Soup flavor is a 5 star and meatballs dry, hard overcooked 2 star.
Haven’t made the soup0part yet, but I will be making for a colleague who will be laid up for a while. Made the meatballs in advance and baked them-delicious! First time I’ve gotten my husband to eat a turkey meatball. He loved them and ate so many that I don’t have enough for friend and us! Guess I’ll have to make another batch. Thanks!
Delicious and healthy, I loved this soup. I made a few slight changes. I added an egg, tsp of fennel seeds, and lemon zest to the meatballs and used brown rice instead of pasta. It had great flavor for something that comes together so quickly. I will definitely make this again.
Can you sub almond meal for panko?
Do you know how you make this using an instant pot?
This is SO GOOD!!!! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
I followed what a few others did and replaced Kale for the spinach and it is divine!! Holds it’s shape and tastes great with everything.
These turkey meatballs are delish. I might add another container of stock next time, more pasta, so i can throw in more meatballs and veggies. Would be great to freeze, but I bet we will eat this all by tomorrow this round 🙂
Very fresh, like a bright, summer garden in a bowl!
Delicious! Everyone loved it! Thanks! Any idea how much a serving is – approximate cups?
Love this soup. Next time I make it, I will add another cup of spinach as it cooks down so much and I do like it. Meatballs are yum! Freezes well. Going into my personal recipe book.
i made this yesterday for dinner and loved it! I will absolutely make this again!
Love that! Thank you for sharing with us, Elizabeth!
I know I am late to the table but I made this the day before Christmas because I wanted a go-to before the heavy eating. This is fabulous. I too had trouble turning the meatballs so I will try Joannes suggesting of baking next time. Winter or Summer, this is a great recipe. Thank you.
Made this soup today exactly as written and oh my, is it delicious!! I’ve made chicken and turkey meatballs before and they were hard so I was sceptical about the recipe. I am so glad that I tried this. The meatballs were not only very easy with few ingredients, they are very soft and flavorful in the soup. Love all the vegetables in this too. One of the best tasting soups I’ve ever made, thank you for the awesome recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
This was SO good!I made it with pre-made chicken italian sausage, just crumbled, browned and it was great! Also subbed frozen spinach and cooked my zucchini a little more. Thanks so much for these awesome recipes!
Thanks for sharing!
It says freezer friendly but also to serve immediately. Do you have the freezer instructions?
Naomi, you can freeze in plastic freezer bags (I like to lay them flat in the freezer to save on space), thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat over low heat.
I just made this and it came out delicious! Only thing different was I already had homemade turkey meatballs in the freezer so I used those. I actually quartered them so they would fit the spoon! I also had one lonely fresh ear of corn so I added that once the soup was all done since it does not need to be cooked this time of year!
Great modifications!