Do you know what I love about soup? It’s easy! Take out some ground meats or some meatballs you may have made the night before*, and start cooking! Then dice up some of those vegetables that have been hanging out in the fridge for a bit, add your free-range broth, and you’re well on your way to filling up with some nutritious veggies and some added hydration into a meal that’ll last for days! And, I simply love that it makes an easy leftover you can just throw onto the stovetop the next day or into glass containers to reheat for a warm lunch.
If you get a chance to make this recipe, please feel free to leave a review for others.
Vegetable Beef & Turkey Meatball Soup
6
servings20
minutes45
minutesEnjoy this vegetable soup with fresh parsley, other spices, and meatballs (or ground meats), using typical vegetables you may keep on hand. When finished, garnish with more parsley or grated parmesan, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- Broth + Vegetables
32 ounces grass-fed bone or regular stock beef or chicken broth
2 cups filtered water or additional broth
4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 – 2 carrots, sliced
1-1/2 – 2 stalks celery, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 small or 1 large zucchini squash, sliced and halved
1-1/2 cups frozen spinach or kale, optional
- Spices for the Soup
3-1/2 teaspoons pre-minced garlic or 7 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon pink salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon avocado oil for sautéing the vegetables
- Meatball and/or Ground Meat Mixture (Makes About 34 Meatballs)
1 pound ground grass-fed beef
1 pound ground free-range turkey
1/3 cup onions, chopped finely
1 organic pasture-raised egg
1-1/2 teaspoons pre-minced garlic or 3 garlic bulbs, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
Note: If you make the soup without meatballs, omit the spices in this section, and cook the ground meats, along with your onions and carrots, in the same large cooking pot.
Directions
- Making the Meatballs
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your ground beef, turkey, diced onions, egg and spices. Then mix the ingredients with your hands.
- Next, form meat ingredients into 1-1/2″ balls, and set into a large 12″ skillet, if cooking the meatballs the night before you make your soup.* If using stainless steel, remember to allow the meat to come to room temperature before cooking so that the meat does not stick to the pan.
- Cook the meatballs on medium heat until browned. Then set aside or refrigerate covered for use the following night. You may also cook these in two different batches in your large pot with your onions and carrots below, if cooking the same night as your soup.
- Making the Soup
- In a large pot, sauté with the avocado oil the onions and carrots on medium heat. Sautéing the carrots in this step allows the carrots to become tender more quickly.
- Then add the cooked meatballs or half the uncooked meatballs and cook until the meatballs are browned on all sides. (Then repeat with the second batch of meatballs.) Cooking the meatballs in two batches allows them to cook more evenly without them breaking apart when turned.
- After the meat is cooked, add the remaining vegetables, and continue sautéing until tender.
- Add the broth and water (or additional broth), and turn the heat down to medium low. You do not want your vegetables to come to a boil.
Note: The longer the soup sits on the stovetop on low to medium low heat, the more flavor you’ll get in your soup. - When a small amount of steam comes off the pot, your soup is done, and you can serve into bowls. You may garnish with more fresh parsley (optional), and then enjoy!
Notes
- Whenever possible, I recommend using clean, organic ingredients.
- *Time-saving tip: Make the meatballs a night ahead to reduce prep/cook time about 20-30 minutes.
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