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Turkey Albondigas Soup

Turkey Albondigas on counter

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This Turkey Albondigas Soup is a twist on the classic Mexican soup. It’s low in carbs and uses turkey meat instead of beef.

What is Turkey Albondigas Soup?

If you’ve never had Turkey Albondigas Soup, you are in for a treat. It has a comforting flavor without a lot of spice. It’s a broth based Mexican soup that includes veggies and meatballs. Traditionally, the meatballs are made with beef, rice and mint. I omitted the rice in this recipe to help lower the carbohydrate content.

I chose to use turkey meat instead of beef because many post-ops struggle with beef early on. However, you can use beef if you would like.

How to make Turkey Albondigas Soup?

First, cut up your veggies and place your ingredients on the counter.

Next, begin preparing the soup base. Saute the onions. Then add the rest of the veggies and the broth. Bring the soup to a boil. While the broth is coming to a boil, prepare 1-inch meatballs.

Once the meatballs are prepared add them to the boiling soup and lower to a simmer. Next cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Once the soup is done, add oregano. Enjoy!

How does Turkey Albondigas Fit into the Bariatric Diet?

This recipe is perfect for those in the pureed or soft diet stage after bariatric surgery. This soup also tastes good for the whole family. Please note that if you’re planning on feeding your family this recipe then I would suggest doubling the portions. I purposefully made this recipe a smaller batch because many post-ops express to me that portions are too large.

If you can tolerate beef then you can substitute beef for the turkey meat. You may also use frozen meatballs from the store if you are short on time. To get the mint flavor, I would suggest garnishing the soup with mint when it’s served.

Bariatric Diet Modifications

Pureed:

  • Blend final soup in blender until desired consistency is reached. Omit fresh herbs for garnish.

Soft:

  • Serve recipe as is with dried herbs

Regular:

  • Serve as is. Consider using fresh herbs.

If you like this soup, you may also enjoy:

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Turkey Albondigas Soup

A comforting soup with a classic flavor. Can be used in all stages after bariatric surgery.

  • Author: Kristin Willard, RDN
  • Total Time: 35

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ onion chopped, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 quarts of chicken stock
  • 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
  • 1 cup green beans, ends chopped off and stronger, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, crumbled, or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For meatballs

  • ½ pound ground lean turkey
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • ½ raw egg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-5 min. Add garlic, tomatoes, broth green beans and carrots. Bring to a boil.
  2.  While bringing to boil, prepare meatballs. Mix all ingredients together and make 1 inch size meatballs. Once soup is boiling add meatballs one by one. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
  3. In last five minutes add oregano, salt and pepper to taste and garnish with oregano. Makes 2-3 servings.

Notes

Pureed:

  • Puree until desired consistency

Soft:

  • Serve without fresh herbs as garnishes

Regular

  • Garnish with fresh herbs oregano and cilantro. May also consider adding 1/2 cup of green peas if you would like to add some carbohydrates. Turkey mau be substituted for beef if tolerated.
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