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Orzo Pesto Meatball Soup

A creamy vegetable pesto soup with kale, orzo and mini Italian turkey meatball. It's the perfect cozy-day soup!
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings
Author Olivia Lam

Ingredients

For the Mini Turkey Meatballs

  • 1/3 cup Breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
  • 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 3/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 lb. Ground Turkey
  • 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

For the Orzo Pesto Soup

  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Medium Onion (small dice)
  • 2 Carrots (peeled and small dice)
  • 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
  • 3 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
  • 4 cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 cups Whole Milk
  • 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
  • 1 cup Dry Orzo Pasta
  • 3 cups Roughly Chopped Dinosaur Kale (de-stemmed)
  • 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 5 Tbsp. Pesto
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

For the Mini Turkey Meatballs

  • In a large bowl, add in the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Whisk until well combined. Then add in the ground turkey. Gently mix until the ingredients are evenly combined. Grease your hands with oil then roll the mixture into balls a 1/2 tablespoon in size.
  • Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the olive oil. Place the mini meatballs into the pot and sear for about 1-2 minutes on all sides until golden brown. They do not need to be fully cooked through. Remove the mini meatballs from the pot and set aside.

For the Orzo Pesto Soup

  • In the same pot you cooked the meatballs in, add in the olive oil and unsalted butter. Heat over medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add in the onion, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are partially cooked through. Add in the flour. Mix and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add in the chicken broth, milk, Italian seasoning, orzo, and mini meatballs. Lower the heat to medium. Cover and cook according to the cook time listed on the orzo package directions. Mix occasionally to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot
  • When the orzo has fully cooked, mix in the dinosaur kale, parmesan cheese, pesto, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the dinosaur kale has wilted. Taste for seasoning then enjoy!

Notes

*Any leftover soup will thicken as it sits in the fridge. To reheat the soup, add in a good splash of additional chicken broth to loosen it up!