Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs
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A hearty, freezer-friendly soup chockfull of fresh garden vegetables. A classic summertime dinner!
Featured Comment
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 and staples here with homemade turkey meatballs. It’s pure summer comfort in a bowl with the tender simmering veggies and juicy meatballs with the refreshing lemon kick in every single bite.
why i love this recipe
- Great way to use fresh summer produce
- Sneaked in leafy greens for grown ups and picky eaters
- Easy recipe to make ahead of time, particularly the meatballs
- Flexible recipe, using different meat and vegetables you have on hand
- So cozy when feeling under the weather (basically a hug in a bowl)
- Freezer-friendly for all your summer needs
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite meat. Ground pork, beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here for the meatballs.
- Prep the meatballs ahead of time. The meatballs can be assembled up to 1 day in advance and placed in the fridge until ready to use. The uncooked meatballs can also be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month (once flash freezing), thawing overnight in the fridge. For a quicker shortcut, substitute frozen mini meatballs (I personally love Trader Joe’s party size mini meatballs – a huge guilty pleasure of mine!).
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your summer minestrone soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
- Freeze as needed. This soup freezes beautifully but if you plan to freeze, cook the veggies slightly firm so they can hold up during freezing and reheating.
what to serve with Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Summer Minestrone with Turkey Meatballs: Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all! Ground pork, ground beef or ground chicken 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.
Place the uncooked meatballs on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the meatballs to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month.
You can use either chicken broth or chicken stock but always season, to taste, as store-bought broth is often saltier than store-bought stock. Broth is made from meat and vegetables while stock is often lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
The ditalini pasta is cooked directly in the soup, absorbing all the flavorful broth. But if you are planning for leftovers or freezing, the pasta should be cooked and stored separately.
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 ditalini 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
Equipment
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.
Video
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Fab, quick & delicious. Added pinches of bouillon & shaoxing wine for twist because I’ve made this so many times!
I kinda winged this, which I never do! Due to dietary issues, I made the meatballs with beef, beef broth, used brown rice and Swiss chard instead of spinach & left out the lemon juice. Got a TOTAL thumbs up from the guys! Wait, what???? Hooray! Thanks, again, for another great recipe! You rock lady!
Do you have the nutrition facts on this?
This was delicious! I added rice because as I was cooking I realized there was no pasta in the pantry. So much for being prepared:). Will definitely make this again.
This soup was amazing! We loved it, I use so many of your recipes! I can’t wait to make this again!
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!