Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs and Orzo

Deliciously comforting Italian Wedding Soup made with an addition of juicy turkey meatballs. Every bite of this soup is so satisfying and loaded with kale, meatballs, orzo pasta, and Parmesan cheese.

Italian Wedding Soup

I love soups. Every year, I can’t wait to the Fall season just so I can start making all the best comfort dishes, and soups are definitely at the top of my list.

It might always be warm in Florida but a nice bowl of soup is still a must during fall and winter seasons.

This Italian Wedding Soup is one of my favorite soups to make. As much as I like making all kinds of different soups, I am partial to a few classics like Zuppa Tuscana, Italian Wedding, Tomato Bisque, and Crab Bisque.

This version of classic Italian Wedding Soup is great for different moods and occasions. First, there are meatballs and that’s a great addition to any soup that can take it from lunch to the main course easily.

You can actually play around and make chicken or beef meatballs here. Personally, I think turkey go best here because they are light and don’t take away from the rest of ingredients.

Let’s not forget about kale. Kale is perfect in soup because it holds up nicely to cooking and doesn’t get mushy. There are a ton of nutritional benefits in kale as well.

Then, you have a touch of pasta in the tiny orzo bites. You can use other small sized pasta like ditalini, stars, or acini di pepe. (If you wish, you can omit pasta all together.)

And of course, the cheese! Parmesan and egg is the perfect finish to this delicious, comforting soup.

Can the meatballs be made ahead of time?

Yes, to save some time you can make the meatballs ahead of time.

Prepare meatballs according to the recipe and cook them in the soup pot. Take them off heat and cool enough to be placed in the refrigerator. Cover with a lid and keep in the same pot.

The next day, or when ready, start heating the pot over medium heat and continue per recipe.

Some more soup recipes to try:

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Copycat Zuppa Tuscana

White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup from She Wears Many Hats

Carrot, Tomato and Coconut Soup from Green Kitchen Stories

Tuscan Ravioli Soup from Kleinworth & Co.

Crockpot Beer Cheese Soup from Family Fresh Meals

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5 from 2 votes

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Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs and Orzo

Every bite of this soup is so satisfying and loaded with kale, meatballs, orzo pasta, and Parmesan cheese.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword leftover turkey, meatballs, soup, turkey meatballs

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 385 kcal

Ingredients

Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 Tbsp minced Italian parsley
• salt and fresh ground black pepper

Soup:

• Meatballs from above
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 6 cup (loose not packed cups) chopped kale
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredient for the meatballs and mix until all evenly combined.
2. Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Form small meatballs and add them to the pot. Cook meatballs over medium heat until about half way done.

3. Add diced onion and minced garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes.

4. Slowly add stock and raise heat to medium-high. Bring it to boil and lower the heat back to medium.

5. Add salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
6. Add orzo and chopped kale. Cook until orzo is done.

7. Whisk egg in a small bowl and mix it with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

8. Once orzo is cooked, start slowly swirling soup (in one direction) and slowly pour in the egg mixture. 

9. Cook for about a minute or two and serve.

Recipe Notes

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition Facts

Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs and Orzo

Amount Per Serving

Calories 385 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 100mg 33%

Sodium 388mg 16%

Potassium 890mg 25%

Total Carbohydrates 37g 12%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 2g

Protein 34g 68%

Vitamin A 139.2%

Vitamin C 101.8%

Calcium 22.1%

Iron 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.