Last Updated on December 15, 2021 by Slow The Cook Down
Things are about to get super tasty...and cozy! This Thai meatball soup is sure to warm your body and soul on those chilly days. Made with seasoned turkey meatballs, this coconut milk based soup is loaded with fresh veggies and rice noodles to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
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It's no secret that Thai is one of my favorite cuisines, and although I enjoy it all year round, I particularly turn to it in the colder months. Those sweet and warming flavors are just so comforting!
The turkey meatballs in this Thai soup are seriously delicious, and you can easily enjoy them by themselves, seasoned with ginger, garlic and lime they are so good! The soup is loaded with fresh veggies and is sweet and spicy thanks to the coconut milk and curry paste.
If you are looking for a tasty way to warm up this winter, then be sure to make a batch of this!
Be sure to try my Thai Chicken and Rice Soup and Lentil Turmeric Soup too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Easy: This is a pretty straight forward recipe that results in the most complex and delicious flavors.
- Healthy: Ok, so not SUPER healthy, but there's a tonne of goodness in this soup that you can feel good about and it's fairly low in calories! Loads of fresh veggies and the turkey meatballs are low in fat and high in protein.
- Make ahead: Make up a big batch of this soup to enjoy throughout the week. It's freezer friendly too.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- Turkey: Use ground turkey to make the meatballs. You can also use other ground meats.
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together.
- Breadcrumbs: Use fine breadcrumbs to absorb fat. Use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you have an intolerance.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, lime zest and cilantro.
For the soup
- Vegetables: Onion, mushrooms, red pepper, carrots and spinach.
- Ginger and garlic: Use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavors, you can use powdered in a pinch. Grate or mince finely.
- Red Thai curry paste: For a bit of spice and lots of flavor.
- Coconut milk: Coconut milk is popular to use in Thai cuisine, it gives a creamy texture and the sweetness helps to balance out the spices.
- Stock: You can use vegetable, turkey or chicken stock for this recipe.
- Oyster sauce: This adds a great umami flavor, You can also use fish sauce or soy sauce.
- Rice noodles: Rice noodles are often used in Asian cooking. They help to bulk up the soup and they are also naturally gluten-free.
- Cilantro: Added in at the end of cooking for a herby freshness. You can use parsley if you don't like cilantro.
- Lime juice: Finish with some fresh lime juice to help cut through the sweet flavors.
How to make Thai meatball soup
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Mix together the ingredients for the meatballs (photo 1).
- Roll into balls and place in an oiled cast iron skillet or baking pan (photo 2).
- Bake til golden brown and cooked through (photo 3).
While the meatballs are cooking, you can make the soup.
- Soften the veggies and stir in the Thai red curry paste (photo 4).
- Pour in the coconut milk, stock and oyster sauce and simmer (photo 5).
- Add in the rice noodles, cooked meatballs, spinach and cilantro and cook til the noodles are soft (photo 6).
Make ahead and storage
This Thai meatball soup is a great make ahead meal. You can make both the meatballs and soup separately and just toss them together and heat through to serve.
As the soup sits, the rice noodles will start to soak up the moisture and after about a day they will start to break apart when stored. They still taste great and are good to eat, but the texture will be slightly different. If you want to make this ahead of time I suggest that you don't add the rice noodles until you are reheating it to serve.
The meatballs can be cooked ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to two months. If frozen, thaw them in the fridge overnight before tossing in the soup.
The soup will keep well in the fridge (with or without the meatballs) for around 4 days. If freezing, it's best not to add the rice noodles. Frozen it will keep well for up to 6 months and can be thawed in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stovetop.
Recipe Variations
You can make the Thai meatballs for this soup with any ground meat. I used turkey, but beef or chicken will work well. If you are vegetarian or vegan, simply leave the meatballs out and skip the oyster sauce. It will still be hearty and filling without the meatballs, or, you add in some chickpeas for some extra protein.
You can easily add in other veggies that you have to hand too, or try swapping the red curry paste for green.
Frequently Asked Questions
The heat in this Thai meatball soup comes from the Thai red chili paste, it's not overly spicy at all, but you can reduce the amount of paste added if you wish. If you want to make things spicier, add in a few chopped red chilies when you add in the garlic and ginger.
Use canned coconut milk for this recipe, cartoned is quite thin and less flavorful. I always prefer to use a regular fat coconut milk, but you can use lite if you prefer, the soup will be a little thinner and not as rich, but it will still work nicely.
Rice noodles are a popular ingredient in Thai cooking so it feels fitting to use them in this soup recipe. Pasta has a very neutral taste, so in a pinch you can easily swap that in instead if you like, or omit completely.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Make this Thai meatball soup recipe gluten-free by using GF breadcrumbs in the meatballs.
- I used carrot chips in this recipe as I love the look of them in this recipe, but you can slice up a carrot instead.
- I used 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste which gave it a warming and mild spice. You can add in a another tablespoon for a stronger flavor, or add in some fresh red chilies to make it spicier.
- The Thai turkey meatballs are made from a fairly wet mixture, this is so that they stay nice and juicy and don't dry out.
- If making ahead of time, it's best not to add the rice noodles. They will absorb a lot of moisture and will start to break up after a day.
- The recipe is easily halved for smaller servings.
More Coconut Milk Recipes
- Thai Mussels
- Poached Cod in Coconut Milk
- Beef Curry Stew with Coconut Milk
- Chicken Poached in Coconut Milk
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Thai Meatball Soup with Rice Noodles
Ingredients
For the Thai meatballs
- 16 ounces ground turkey (450g)
- 1 egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons fine breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
For the soup
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced (227g)
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups carrot chips or two large sliced carrots
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 cans coconut milk (27oz /800ml)
- 2 cups stock chicken, turkey or vegetable (475ml)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or fish sauce or soy sauce
- 8 ounces rice noodles (227g)
- 5 ounces baby spinach (140g)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped (4 tablespoons)
- juice of ½ lime
Instructions
To make the Thai turkey meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 360F / 180c.
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and use your hands to combine. Don't over mix as this can make the meatballs tough.
- Line a baking sheet or oil a cast iron skillet.
- Make the turkey mixture into balls, about 2 tablespoons each and place onto your baking sheet or oven safe skillet.
- Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and cooked through. Set to one side.
For the Thai soup
- While the meatballs are cooking, you can make the soup.
- Heat the oil in a large pot on a medium high heat. Once hot add the chopped vegetables; onion, mushrooms, bell peppers and carrots, along with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally til the vegetables have softened.
- Stir in the fresh ginger and garlic, followed by the Thai red chili paste. Stir well to coat the vegetables and cook for a few minutes til fragrant.
- Add in the coconut milk, stock and oyster sauce. Stir to combine and let come to a low simmer. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes just to make sure that the veggies are fully softened.
- Keeping the pot on a low simmer, add in the rice noodles, spinach, cilantro and lime juice. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes til the noodles are soft and the meatballs are heated through.
Notes
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using GF breadcrumbs in the meatballs.
- I used carrot chips in this recipe as I love the look of them in this recipe, but you can slice up a carrot instead.
- I used 3 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste which gave it a warming and mild spice. You can add in a another tablespoon for a stronger flavor, or add in some fresh red chilies to make it spicier.
- The Thai turkey meatballs are made from a fairly wet mixture, this is so that they stay nice and juicy and don't dry out.
- If making ahead of time, it's best not to add the rice noodles. They will absorb a lot of moisture and will start to break up after a day.
- The recipe is easily halved for smaller servings.
Sharon says
When I make soup, I like freeze it. Will this freeze well?
Slow The Cook Down says
Hi Sharon, it will freeze well but I advise not to add the rice noodles as these can break up when you thaw it. Freeze it without them and then add them to the pot when you reheat.