Chickpea Soup with Turkey Meatballs

Loaded with bright flavors and crave-worthy homemade meatballs, this soup is every bit as delicious as it is good for you.

Hearty meatballs, flavorful veggies, fiber-packed creamy chickpeas, and a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice + zest to keep it bright!

Ground turkey was on sale this past week, plus I had a few cans of chickpeas (garbanzos) in the pantry, so Chickpea Soup with Turkey Meatballs was created and will forever be a go-to family soup recipe when we’re hungry for something just a little different than the usual.

These past several years I’ve been focusing on becoming extra creative with less expensive (more affordable) foods.

How can I create delicious meals or dishes for less money? You too?!

I think it’s a necessity these days to keep our family budget in check without compromising our health and FLAVOR!

Soup always tastes even better the next day. This meatball soup stays great refrigerated for 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Rachel’s Notes:

Use ANY milk of your choice. My personal preferences for this soup are unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened cashew milk.

ANY broth works GREAT here! Use vegetable broth OR add chicken bone broth to increase the protein and nutrients.

Homemade Instant Pot Vegetable Broth

Homemade Bone Broth Recipe

Garbanzo beans, or chickpeas are full of protein, fiber and are loaded with vitamins and minerals.

Canned or pouches of chickpeas or garbanzo beans are readily available at local grocers and online retailers such as Amazon.

I always keep them in my pantry because I don’t always plan ahead to soak my own beans, so the canned ready-to-eat option shaves a lot of time off prep!

That being said, cooking your own dried chickpeas or beans at home is more cost-effective, and you’ll get to choose and control what is added such as salt or herbs.

Using dried chickpeas or beans (not canned):
The package of dried beans/chickpeas will have directions for you to soak and cook them at home, you’ll just need to plan ahead the day before you’re going to follow my soup recipe below.

When I’m using dried chickpeas (or beans!) I usually soak them overnight with PLENTY of water because they will expand.

After an overnight soak, I’ll rinse them off, then add fresh water to the pot.

Simply cook them over a low simmer for around 2 hours.

Your chickpeas can be cooked all by themselves or with garlic cloves, onion pieces, carrots, celery, bay leaves, sea salt, or even broth added to the pot for flavor.

Don’t overcook them, as we still want a firm texture much like canned chickpeas.

Allow to cool and dry completely, then follow the directions for the recipe below.

6 servings

Ingredients

For the soup:

• 2 Tbsps olive oil or avocado oil

• 1 large onion, finely diced

• 3 large carrots, chopped

• 4 celery ribs, finely chopped

• 4 fresh garlic cloves, pressed or minced

• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes

• 2 Tbsps tomato paste

• 2 x 15oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

• 6 cups chicken or turkey bone broth

• zest and juice of one fresh lemon

optional:

• freshly chopped herbs of choice

• dollop of plain Greek yogurt

For the meatballs:

• 2 slices Ezekiel bread or gluten-free bread, well toasted

• 2-3 Tbsps milk of choice

• 1-1/2 lbs ground turkey or chicken

• 1 large egg

• 2 tsps smoked paprika

• 1 tsp onion powder

• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

• 2 Tbsps olive oil or avocado oil

Instructions:

To make your soup:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat your oil over medium-high then add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

Saute until vegetables soften. Stir in the oregano, chili flakes, tomato paste, and chickpeas.
Pour in your bone broth, together with the lemon zest and juice, and stir to combine.
Simmer the soup over low heat for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

To make your meatballs:

Meanwhile, to make the meatballs, prepare a medium bowl and a large bowl.
In your medium bowl, soak your toasted bread with the milk. Allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.

In the large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, and spices and combine very well.
Drain and discard the milk, then squeeze the moisture out of the bread.

Add the soaked bread to your bowl with the meat. Thoroughly mix to combine, then form into even meatballs, making about 12-14.

Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in meatballs and cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides and just cooked through.

To finish your soup:
Carefully transfer your cooked meatballs into the soup. Continue to simmer for a few minutes more.

Serve the soup warm with freshly chopped herbs of choice.
Enjoy!
Rachel

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