After several richer autumn soups, this one changes lanes completely. The broth is light and clear, but ginger, garlic, mushrooms, toasted sesame oil and soy sauce give it plenty of character.
Turkey meatballs make it satisfying without weighing it down, while bok choy keeps everything fresh and vegetable-forward. It is also an excellent batch-cooking soup: the meatballs bake while the broth cooks, then freeze beautifully either separately or right in the soup.
🏅 High protein: a fresh, lighter soup that still eats like dinner.
At a glance
- Preparation: 25 minutes
- Cooking: 30 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
- Servings: 6
- Difficulty: Easy
- Freezer rating: Very good
- Best season: Autumn through spring
Turkey meatballs — 6 servings
- 1½ lb / 680 g lean ground turkey
- 3 green onions, finely sliced
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Soup ingredients — 6 servings
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil, such as avocado or canola
- 8 oz / 225 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 4 baby bok choy, approximately 1 lb / 450 g, chopped with stems and leaves separated
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lime, approximately 2 tbsp
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- Chili crisp or crushed red pepper flakes, optional for serving
Turkey meatballs — 12 servings
For the larger batch, use an 8-quart or larger stockpot and two baking sheets.
- 3 lb / 1.36 kg lean ground turkey
- 6 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Soup ingredients — 12 servings
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 1 lb / 450 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 3½ tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, adding more only after tasting
- 1½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1½ tsp honey
- 8 baby bok choy, approximately 2 lb / 900 g, chopped with stems and leaves separated
- 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Juice of 1½ limes initially, approximately 3 tbsp, plus more if needed
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- Chili crisp or crushed red pepper flakes, optional for serving
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the meatballs. Place the turkey, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, panko and black pepper in a large bowl.
- Mix gently with clean hands or a fork just until evenly combined. Repeated kneading can make turkey meatballs dense.
- With slightly damp hands, form approximately 24 meatballs, each about 1¼ inches across. Make about 48 for the large batch.
- Arrange them on the baking sheet with a little room between each. Bake for 13–16 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked to 165°F / 74°C internally. They will finish in the broth, so deep browning is not necessary.
- Meanwhile, heat the neutral oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the mushrooms in a reasonably even layer. Leave them undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, then stir and cook until their moisture evaporates and golden edges develop, about 6–8 minutes total.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for about 45 seconds, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Pour in about 1 cup of chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pot to release the browned mushroom bits.
- Add the remaining stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey.
- Add the carrots and firm white bok choy stems, keeping the leafy green portions aside.
- Bring the broth to a gentle simmer and cook for 5–6 minutes. The carrots should begin to soften while retaining a little bite.
- Add the cooked turkey meatballs and simmer gently for another 4–5 minutes so they absorb some broth flavour.
- Add the bok choy leaves and cook for only 1–2 minutes, until wilted and bright green.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the toasted sesame oil and lime juice.
- Taste before adding more soy sauce. The broth should be savoury and gingery with noticeable acidity, but not aggressively salty.
- Ladle into bowls and scatter green onions and optional cilantro over the top. Add chili crisp at the table if you like.
The flavour finish
Lime juice and toasted sesame oil bring this soup into focus. Sesame oil adds a roasted, nutty aroma; lime prevents soy and stock from taking over the bowl.
Both work best after the pot comes off the heat. Long boiling softens the aromas you want to preserve. If the finished broth seems dull, try another squeeze of lime before reaching for more salt.
Finish with lime and sesame oil off the heat—the fragrance is part of the flavour.
Make it your own
- Chicken meatballs: Ground chicken works beautifully. Choose a mixture that is not excessively lean for the most tender result.
- Add noodles: Cook rice noodles separately and put them in individual bowls before adding soup. Leftover noodles will not absorb half the broth overnight.
- Lower-carb: Replace the panko with 3 tbsp almond flour if desired.
- Extra heat: Add sliced fresh red chili to the broth or serve chili crisp at the table so everyone controls their own heat.
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free panko and certified gluten-free tamari instead of conventional soy sauce.
Freezer notes
The meatballs and broth freeze extremely well. Bok choy remains tasty after freezing but loses some of its fresh texture.
For the best result, prepare freezer portions without the bok choy leaves, lime juice, sesame oil, green onions or cilantro. Cool promptly, divide into roughly 3-cup containers for two people and give every container several meatballs.
Leave about ½ inch of headspace and freeze for up to three months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently until the broth is steaming and the meatballs are hot throughout.
Add fresh chopped bok choy during the final few minutes. Remove from the heat and finish with lime, sesame oil and green onions. If the bok choy was already added before freezing, do not worry—the soup will still taste good; the greens will simply be softer.
Big-batch tip
For the 12-serving version, bake the meatballs rather than browning them individually in the soup pot. Forty-eight little meatballs and a skillet can turn dinner preparation into an unwanted part-time job.
Two sheet pans cook the entire batch while the broth develops on the stove. You can also freeze the baked meatballs separately on a sheet pan, then transfer them to freezer bags for future soups, rice bowls or noodle dinners.
What to serve with it
- Steamed jasmine or brown rice
- Cucumber salad with rice vinegar and sesame seeds
- Vegetable spring rolls
- Edamame with lime and a small pinch of sea salt
Nutrition snapshot
One serving provides approximately 365 calories, 35 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 4 g fibre and 18 g fat. These figures are estimates and will vary with the turkey, stock, breadcrumbs and brands used.
For a lower-sodium version, use unsalted or very low-sodium chicken stock and reduced-sodium soy sauce. Ginger, lime, mushrooms and toasted sesame bring enough personality that less sodium does not have to mean less flavour.
Cook’s note: listen for the second sizzle
Mushrooms are remarkably good at telling you when they are ready to brown. At first, they release water and look disappointingly grey. Keep cooking.
Once that moisture evaporates, you will hear the pan begin to sizzle again and the mushrooms will finally develop golden edges. That second sizzle is your cue that real flavour development has begun.