Nitrate & Nitrite Free Turmeric-Ginger Turkey Meatball Soup
This golden, fragrant soup is the kind of bowl that makes you feel genuinely taken care of — warming from the inside out thanks to a double hit of fresh ginger and turmeric running through both the meatballs and the broth. Ground turkey keeps things light, while sweet potato, carrots, and zucchini add real substance and color. One of the trickiest parts of avoiding nitrates and nitrites is navigating processed meats, which show up in so many soups and stews as sausage, cured pork, or deli-style additions — this recipe sidesteps all of that entirely by building its protein from scratch with clean, whole ingredients. Arrowroot starch binds the meatballs beautifully without any fillers or additives you'd need to second-guess. The meatballs are oven-baked first, so they hold their shape perfectly once they go into the simmering bone broth, giving you that satisfying, hearty texture in every spoonful. A squeeze of fresh lemon at the end brightens everything up and makes the turmeric and ginger really sing. It's the kind of recipe that looks impressive but comes together with straightforward steps and a single pot.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the soup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into ½-inch half-moons
- 6 cups bone broth
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, arrowroot starch, turmeric, grated ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and parsley. Mix with your hands until just combined — do not overwork. Roll into 1 1/2-inch balls (about 20 meatballs) and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
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