Brothy Meatball & Orzo Soup (Kofta-Inspired)

This brothy meatball and orzo soup is a light yet comforting soup made with juicy kofta-style beef meatballs, tender orzo pasta, and a flavourful chicken broth. The meatballs are seasoned with warm spices inspired by middle eastern kofta, then simmered gently to keep them moist. The clear broth feels nourishing and cozy without being heavy. It’s an easy one-pot soup perfect for chilly days!

I always have frozen meatballs in my freezer, often made using my all-purpose kofta meatballs recipe. I usually bake them and drop them into pasta or make a kofta and potato stew, which my kids love. But when I want to make something for me, I make this brothy meatball and orzo soup.

I personally prefer when I shape the meatballs extra small for the soup; I find that it works better with the orzo and becomes a nice little mouthful (as opposed to cutting the larger meatballs in half while eating). But the size really does not impact the taste and this recipe is meant to be fuss-free – so use any meatballs you have!

The key to the most flavourful soup is a homemade chicken broth. I make a large batch and freeze it so I have it on hand. But if you don’t have homemade broth – don’t let it stop you. Find the best quality store bought broth and make it.

How to Make My Extra Brothy Meatball Soup

Start by making the kofta meatballs. The easiest way to make them is to blitz the onions, garlic and parsley in a small food processor to chop finely. Then add them to the beef along with the spices and mix well using your hands.

Shape them into small 1-inch meatballs if you’re using them for other recipes. If you’re making them for this soup only, I recommend a 1/2 inch meatball size; the smaller meatballs are so much more fun to eat.

Next, in a medium sized soup pot, add a bit of olive oil and sear the meatballs. Work in batches so they actually sear and brown, to add more flavour.

Remove them from the pot and add the orzo. Toast the orzo in the fat leftover at the bottom of the pot, scraping any of the fond stuck on. Toasting the orzo does two things:

1. It adds depth of flavour, especially when toasted in the beef fat.
2. It also gives the orzo more structure and ensures it doesn’t end up soaking up all the broth as the soup sits. So the soup will stay brothy!

Finally, add your chicken broth and simmer the orzo for about 7 minutes. Then add the meatballs back in and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley for colour, and enjoy!

If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!