Get a wholesome and satisfying meal on the table in just 30 minutes with this hearty Turkey Meatball and Kale Soup.
Y’all know that I’m all about making healthy living as easy as possible. Because if your life is anything like mine, there just isn’t enough hours in the day to get it all done.
I’ve posted a couple of quick and easy 30 minute meals lately (like my Curried Cauliflower and Kale Soup and my Creamy Sweet Potato Bacon Chowder). Hopefully you’ve had a chance to try them out. Today’s Turkey Meatball and Kale recipe is inspired by a recent trip our family took to the Oregon Coast to visit family.
Last week our family travelled to Oregon to visit family and to check out some really cool prefab eco-houses. We are considering selling our house and buying a raw piece of land to put one on. We would like to expand our space a bit and have room for chickens and more gardening. It’s pretty amazing that you can have a custom house built and delivered to your land – especially if it’s more sustainable and green than building on site. You can check out IdeaBox here. I will definitely blog more about the process if we decide to go with it. I have to say, I was really impressed with the homes. We are looking at one of their 3 bedroom custom models.
After we checked out the prefab homes, we travelled to Seaside, Oregon to visit family. The Oregon coastline is so amazingly beautiful and less crowded then in California. Miles and miles of rugged coastline. And some good surf – if that’s your jam. I was surprised, though, by how cold it was. We definitely had to stay bundled up on the beach.
OK…. back to the soup recipe….
While we were there, my mother in law made us a wonderful turkey meatball soup that just warmed my soul. Super simple. Super nourishing. (Did I mention that I LOVE it when other people cook for me?) I just knew I had to recreate it for you guys. Her recipe included breadcrumbs and parmesan and took 2 hours to make. I switched it up a bit and came up with a gluten, grain, and dairy free version that can be thrown together in 30 minutes.
Easy. Hearty. Filling. And super tasty. Just a few simple ingredients.
I highly recommend using a good quality broth for this recipe. It really does make a difference. Bone broth is easy to make at home. You can also make a delicious vegetable broth from scraps from your kitchen. For this recipe, I actually used my first boxed bone broth. We have been traveling and are in the process of moving, so my bone broth stock is low. This is the brand that I tried.
I have to admit that this is the first store-bought bone broth that I have tried. And it’s AMAZING! Who knew? It’s rich and delicious. And 10 grams of protein per serving. It’s made with bones from organically raised chickens or cattle, then slow simmered for a solid 24 hours with organic vegetables, sea salt and herbs. Just like I do it at home.
What an easy way to get your gelatin fix! I will definitely keep this in the pantry for when my homemade bone broth stock is low. The shelf life is 2 years- without any preservatives!
Want to try some kick ass bone broth? Check out Kettle and Fire Bone Broth and save 20% on your first order.
Get your bone broth HERE!
Hope you enjoy!
xo,
Katja
30 Minute Turkey Meatball and Kale Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
for meatballs
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg, whipped
- 2-4 tbsp flour (cassava, almond, coconut) **see note below
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder) (like this)
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, or cilantro) OR 1/2 tsp dried
- 3/4 tsp salt
- several grinds of fresh black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil
for soup
- 2 tbsp butter, ghee, or coconut oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, chipped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups of good quality broth (chicken OR vegetable)
- 1 bunch of kale, destemmed and chopped (I used the Dino variety)
garnish
- chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, dill, or cilantro)
- red pepper flakes (like this)
Instructions
- TO MAKE MEATBALLS: In a large bowl, combine turkey meat, egg, flour, garlic, salt, and herbs and mix until well incorporated. Roll into small balls (about 1 1/2 inches). You’ll get about 24-26 meatballs. Heat 2 tbsp fat of choice in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook meatballs for 3-4 minutes, until all sides are brown. You may need to do this in batches. Set aside.
- TO MAKE SOUP: Heat 2 tbsp fat of choice in large soup pot. Add onions, carrots and garlic and cook until onions are translucent – about 5 minutes.
- Add bay leaves, broth, and meatballs. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add kale and cook until meatballs are cooked through- about 5-7 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh herbs and red pepper flakes.
Notes
**I used 3 tablespoons of cassava flour for my binder. Feel free to use any flour that you have. The amount you need depends on the flour. Add just enough so the meat is not too sticky to roll into balls.
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What a perfect week night fast and nourishing dinner! Thank you!
RIGHT!! I love quick and easy meals!
This looks so delicious and nourishing. I could really go for a bowl of this. I’ve been sick for a week and soup has been the only soothing thing. I love that yours is full of kale, one of my favorite greens. Yum!
Hope you feel better soon, Emily!!
I didn’t have kale at the time so I used spinach in it instead, came out really good and my two grown picky eaters really liked it too.. So now I make it at least every two weeks.
I definitely want to hear if you guys go through with the prefab eco house thing! That sounds so interesting. And this soup looks so nourishing and delicious! Yum.
It’s an exciting project for sure. Can’t wait to share more about it. It will e a huge undertaking as we are buying raw land.
I tried this soup and it’s absolutely delicious and nourishing. I will order the bone broth for sure.
HA! Thanks for taking the time to leave some feedback. I will have to feed you my recipes more often. 😉
Very good! Thanks for the recognition too! I’ve never heard of cassava flour, so I had to do some research – interesting.
Sorry about the cold weather while you were here. It’s been an unusually long and cold winter, but I promise if you come back during the summer you’ll love it!
Hi, Susan! We will definitely be back. Thanks so much for having us. Sending big love!!
Oh my goodness! This looks DIVINE@
Thanks, Cristina!
This sounds really delicious! I love Turkey + Kale!
It’s so good… and so easy!
This soup looks delicious. I love a good and meaty soup!
Thanks, Stacey!
Meatballs in soup is so new! Love all the veggies!
I’m all about tons of veggies in my soup.
This soup looks like it can warm my soul too. So delicious. Oregon is so beautiful, definitely not as crowded as California but both are gorgeous in their own right. Can’t wait to hear more about your eco-house!
Yes, we love Oregon, but California is my home. I’ll post more about the house as soon as I pick the model that I want.
Love meatballs and kale is probably one of my most favorite leafy greens. This soup is so nutritious and simply amazing !
Thanks! I love kale too!
This soup looks delicious and comforting, but also has the freshness that is nice in the spring! I love how quick it is and my husband is always down for soup if it has meatballs 🙂
Thanks, Jessica!!
You had me at 30 minutes! Everyone needs a handful of easy nourishing meal to have in their back pocket for busy nights and quick dinners!
Totally! Makes healthy eating so much easier.
I love kale and meatball soup, and in 30 minutes?? So perfect!
Right! I’m all about 30 minute meals!!
This totally looks like health in a bowl! AND I’m such a Kettle & Fire fangirl… I was just commenting earlier today that it’s pricey but the convenience is worth it!
Health in a bowl! I love it!!
Even though we’re heading into spring, I’ve been craving soups more than ever lately, I love how this one is so light and refreshing looking yet still comforting + meatballs are everything!
So comforting! I could eat this ALL year round.
I made this a couple months ago and I’m still making it every two weeks now, didn’t have kale at the time so I used spinach in it instead, came out really tasty.
My two grown picky eaters really liked it also which is a really good thing.
Wow! This looks amazing! I sure do love me some turkey.
Thanks, Carrie!!
This looks so nourishing and satisfying. Great job!
Thanks!!
I didn’t use any flour and they were sticking together just fine. Also, you can skip that extra step of frying meatballs first, I throw them right in the soup like my mom does and it tastes amazing. So if anyone wants to cook faster, that’s the way. Save your flour, oil and time!!
That’s an amazing idea! Was quite messy making the meatballs
Thanks, wet your hands in cool water, before making meatballs. This way ground meat doesn’t stick to your hands. ?
Hi delicious soup! I did not add flour and egg to meatballs and didn’t fry them either. So save your flour, eggs and oil. It will still come out amazing and healthy!! ?
So flavorful and delicious! I went the cilantro route and couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I also used collagen powered in lieu of GF flour, and the meatballs turned out fine. Only ingredients I added more of was salt and garlic.
Yay! So glad you liked it. It’s almost soup season. I need to make this again for my family.
Currently I am sadly unable to eat eggs 🙁 Is there another binder you could/would suggest for the meatballs or should I save this recipe for when I can hopefully eat eggs again?
You can just leave the egg out. You may just have to be a bit more careful when frying up your meatballs, but it will still work. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Bethany, I didn’t use any eggs or flour & no frying them. Those steps aren’t needed. You can make your meatballs with your hands and throw them in soup. Make sure you have a bowl of cool water to clean your hands/fingers in it so the meat doesn’t stick and it’s easier to make them. (Ukrainian way) 😉
Yes, you can totally do that too. I prefer my meatballs browned on the outside. But they are super yummy cooked in the broth as well. 🙂
Loved this savory and satisfying soup! I used Laxmi brand ginger garlic paste from the Indian store (someone introduced me to it recently and it is SO good and convenient!) and kosher salt. Thank you. This will be made often in my home!
Yay! So glad you loved it! 🙂
I made this tonight for dinner, and my family loved it – even my picky kids! It took much longer than 30 minutes for me to make, however. Next time, I will use a food processor for my vegetable chopping. That should do it.
Yay! So glad that you loved it. 🙂
I had exactly the same experience, Leslie.
The turkey meatballs were delicious, but my soup broth was on the bland side–even though I increased the amount of salt used. Any ideas as to why this might be? (The bone broth was unsalted.)
I make my own or buy it from Kettle and Fire. Both are always very flavorful. You can check out KandF HERE I love the quality of their broths. 🙂
Can you tell me how many carbs per serving? Thanks
Hi, Mary! I do not calculate, but you can use this if you want to know —–> https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Hope that helps. 🙂
My wife and I enjoyed this recipe. I tripled the recipe, so I could freeze some. I used coconut flour, garlic powder, and dried basil in the meatballs. I subbed celery for carrots to keep it lower in carbs. I used my own homemade bone broth, which is unsalted, so the actual broth needed a bit of salt, but the meatballs were deliciously salty. I also used a 12 oz bag of frozen organic chopped kale (since I tripled the recipe). As long as I got a bit of meatball in each bite, it was just the right taste. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for sharing your subs. I love to make extra to freeze for later. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. This was so delicious! Next time I may need to add more chicken broth 🙂
Glad you liked it! YOu can always just add a bit of water if you want to stretch it out a bit. 🙂
I made this last night! So delicious and easy!! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Yay! Glad you liked it.
Made this today in our slow cooker. House smells fantastic! I stuck to the recipe and threw in some zucchini that needed to be used soon. Delicious! My wife and I love it. We still have half left for tomorrow’s lunch. I expect these flavors are going to marry well overnight and be even better tomorrow. Thanks so much for sharing!
YES! So glad you love it. This is a total family fav around here.
Ah-mazing! Loved it and it was so easy to make. My meal prepping is done for the week! Thanks!
Oh, yay! That makes me happy to hear. I love simple meals.
I absolutely cannot wait to make this. It looks divine! So thrilled I came across your Pinterest page.
Love,
Your new follower <3
Hope you enjoy it! Welcome!!
It Definitely sounds so delicious, I am going try your recipe . Thank for sharing, also we are planning a family trip to Oregon….. yes, California is to Crowded
Hope you enjoy it!
Hi,
I M LOOKING FOR THE NUTRITIONAL VALUES….did I miss them? Or??? thanks!
Hi, Karen! I don’t calculate, but you can use a site like https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Hope that helps. 🙂
I too use my own stock but have this brand on hand just in case, used a bit in my pork roast…happt feasting, this bowls looks nutritious and delicious.
I made the soup this evening. It was packed with flavor and absolutely delicious! 10 / 10 I will absolutely make this again.
WooHoo! 10/10! I’ll take it. Glad you like it! 🙂
Hello, do you use dark or white meat for the turkey meatballs?
I prefer dark meat myself as it is more flavorful. But you can use whatever you like. 🙂
It was a perfect hit recipe with my family members. Thank uou for it.
How many calories, grams of sugar and grams of protein?
Hi, Dawn. I don’t calculate. But if you want to know, you can use this free app —-> https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ Hope that helps 🙂
Fantastic, nourishing, soul-warming soup! I made this soup today with just a couple minor tweaks – I added Better Than Bouillon Chicken bouillon, which I use in every soup I make. I let the soup simmer for a good 30 minutes after I put the kale in simply because I prefer to let my veggies simmer for a while, and I served the soup with a small sprinkling of grated parm on top. Really lovely meal!
So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
The meatballs really didnt hold together well but this soup is amazingly delicious. Next time i will just cook up the ground turkey and season it as stated and double the recipe so i can have leftovers yummmmy!!