Lemon Orzo Soup with Turkey Mini Meatballs

This Lemon Orzo Soup with Turkey Mini Meatballs is bright, flavorful and the perfect healthy meal for a cozy fall evening.

All summer we seem to eat a lot grilled foods, or foods that require minimum cooking and time in the kitchen. Who wants to be chopping and sweating over the stove when it’s 100 degrees out?

Once fall rolls around though, I am all about the soups, stews and casseroles. One-pot meals are just so cozy and comforting, perfect for the changing weather.

I’m sure for some people summer is a big season for ground meat. Lots of burgers, of course!

But I seem to use more ground meat when my soup and casserole season rolls around. Especially since the hubs is a huge chili fan.

Though I try to mix it up with all different kinds of meat—we even had the year of never-ending ground venison when we lived in Mississippi—I always seem to come back to ground turkey.

We try to eat as healthy as possible, and since ground turkey has less calories and saturated fat than beef, it’s great for swapping into recipes that traditionally call for ground beef. I’m usually making comfort food, so it’s nice to take a little of the guilt out of it.

I’m easing myself into comfort food slowly this year. To be completely honest, it’s still really hot here. We’ve had a lot of 90+ degree days in the last couple weeks, and quite frankly I’m over it.

Summer has been my favorite season my entire life, but this year was just really, really brutal.

I’m more than ready for cool weather and cozy food, so I’ll just crank up my air conditioner, throw on a sweatshirt and pretend it’s fall while I eat a nice bowl of soup! Who’s with me?

I thought a light, really bright and flavorful soup would be a perfect transition from hot weather.

This Lemon Orzo Soup is super peppy with lots of fresh lemon tang and bright parsley. The meatballs smell amazing while they’re baking, and the milder turkey flavor really pairs well with the lemon and orzo.

If you’ve never added lemon to your chicken or turkey soup, you’re missing out. It does something magical. And the fresh parsley in this soup brings so much flavor. Parsley is an herb I seem to forget about, but whenever I do use it I remember how great it is!

I also love how easy this soup is to throw together. The meatballs don’t take long to bake, and while they’re baking you can work on the soup. I’m all about easy, healthy meals during the week. Ground turkey was a great way to get some lean protein into dinner.

Lemon Orzo Soup with Turkey Mini Meatballs

 

Print

Author: Flying on Jess Fuel

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus more for serving
• 1 egg
• 4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth
• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp fresh lemon zest
• 1 cup orzo

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan, ¼ cup chopped parsley, egg, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Use your hands to mix everything together really well. Season with salt & pepper and mix.
3. Scoop tablespoons of turkey mixture and form into balls. Place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake meatballs 12 minutes until cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and remaining garlic and sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Pour in chicken stock, lemon juice and zest, and stir. Bring to a boil, then stir in orzo. Cook at a light boil 8-9 minutes, until orzo is tender. Season with salt & pepper.
6. To serve, place 4-5 meatballs in a bowl, and ladle soup over top. Top with chopped parsley and Parmesan.

3.5.3251

If you’re a soup lover, be sure to check out my Thai Coconut Soup, Tuscan Chickpea Soup, or Amaretto-Kissed Butternut Squash Soup!