Transform A Pound Of Ground Turkey Into This Hearty And Comforting Soup

Move over ground beef, ground turkey has become the new, smart buy for filling meals this season. Driven by drought and disease, the shrinking size of American cattle herds has pushed ground beef prices through the roof, so what was once a staple of budget meals has become more out of reach — this is where ground turkey comes in. It has always been a little cheaper, but with beef prices outracing the inflation of other ingredients, the current cost of lean ground turkey is now almost 40% less expensive than lean ground beef. That might be a bummer if you think of turkey as a blander meat, but find the right ground turkey recipe, like a turkey meatball and mushroom soup, it can end up just as delicious as anything you make with beef.

Turkey meatballs address the two biggest complaints about turkey: blandness and dryness. Beaten eggs, cream-soaked breadcrumbs, and seasoning mixed in with ground turkey add moisture to make the protein more juicy, and add fat for extra flavor. A creamy soup is the perfect thing to combine with turkey meatballs. In our creamy turkey meatball mushroom soup recipe, a rich base of mushroom soup, thickened with cream, creates a luscious and gravy-like broth. Combined with the meatballs the ultra-savory, comforting taste is almost like eating a Swedish meatball soup. Adding orzo makes the dish that much more filling, so just a pound of ground turkey can easily be stretched to feed a whole family, complete with leftovers. Plus, since the meatballs bake in the oven as you make the soup, you can have it all on the table within an hour.

With such an easy mixture of ground turkey and creamy mushroom gravy as its base, this soup is also open to all kinds of little additions to up the flavor and customize it to your tastes. This can start with the meatballs. While they have plenty of flavor from the added fat and parmesan, there is room for more unique seasonings. Going off of Swedish meatballs, a variety of warming spices from around the globe can pair well with this kind of creamy meal, so you could try adding nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, or cardamon — even a mixture like Chinese five-spice works. And while parsley is added in our recipe, ground meat is a great place to play with dried herbs like sage and thyme, which can bring a little more earthy complexity and balance out a rich meal.

You can also try and lighten the flavor of the creamy gravy with some lighter or acidic additions. A mixture of onions and other crunchy vegetables, like diced carrot and celery, can bring some texture and brightness. A dash of apple cider vinegar at the end can also cut through some of the fat. Otherwise, deglaze the mushrooms with some wine after you finish browning them.

Of course, you don't need to stick with orzo either, if you want a different (but equally filling) base. A thick stew like this works just as well as a sauce with meatballs, so you can drop the orzo and serve it over mashed potatoes or crispy potato pancakes. A hearty gravy served with meatballs is such a classic combination that there should be no end to the dishes that can inspire you.