TL/DR – Tomato Wild Rice Soup with Turkey Meatballs. A hearty and (mostly) healthy soup recipe. If the heavy cream is omitted, it is still delicious and decidedly healthy. –
This recipe for tomato wild rice soup with turkey meatballs was meant to be vegetarian, but I was craving meatballs. I was craving them, but not willing to go to the trouble to brown them. Turkey was the obvious solution: lean enough to not need browning and fat draining, versatile enough and light enough to make a tender and tasty meatball.
Start by sautéing onion and garlic in olive oil. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and low sodium chicken broth. Simmer for a few minutes and then blend it with a hand blender. An immersion blender like my favorite Cuisinart Smart Stick is a very helpful tool for this type of soup. Add in the wild rice and simmer for 30 minutes.
It takes awhile for the wild rice blend to cook, so there is time for meatballs. (The turkey meatballs could also be made a day ahead of time.) I allow the wild rice to cook 2/3 of the way through before adding the meatballs so that everything is cooked through and to correct tenderness without any overcooking.
While the rice simmers, make the turkey meatballs and add them after the rice has simmered for 30 minutes. Add the meatballs along with some balsamic vinegar and simmer the meatballs for 20 minutes longer. Then remove the soup from the burner and stir in the optional heavy cream.
My picky eaters enjoyed this recipe without bread, which is really something. The base for this soup is also a picky eater favorite: Easy Tomato Soup. And if turkey meatballs are your thing, a good summer or fall alternative to this soup is Turkey Meatballs on Zoodles with Parsley Pesto.
Tomato Wild Rice Soup with Turkey Meatballs
A hearty tomato soup base with wild rice and light, tender turkey meatballs with fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- For the soup:
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 14.25 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 14.25 oz can tomato sauce
- 3 c. low sodium chicken broth
- 3/4 c. wild rice blend
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- For the meatballs:
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/2 c panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 T fresh oregano, finely minced
- 3 T fresh basil, finely minced
- 3/4 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t black pepper
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1/2 t garlic powder
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook for 5 min.
- Step 2 Add the garlic and cook for 2 min.
- Step 3 Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Step 4 Blend the soup with an immersion blender and add the wild rice blend. Simmer the rice for 30 minutes.
- Step 5 While the rice simmers in the soup, combine the turkey, panko, egg, fresh oregano, fresh basil, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a medium bowl and mix together by hand until the mixture is well incorporated. Form 1 1/2 inch meatballs and set on a plate. These can be made the day before and refrigerated.
- Step 6 After the rice has simmered for 30 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and the meatballs to the soup, stir gently, cover and simmer for 20 more minutes.
- Step 7 Add the heavy cream after removing the soup from the burner. Season the soup to taste with more salt and pepper. Stir it well and serve 5 – 6 meatballs in a generous bath of soup.
