Flavoursome silky creamy tomato soup with orzo pasta and herby garlic chicken meatballs makes this a complete meal in a bowl that the whole family will love.
Creamy Tomato Meatball Orzo Soup
We love meatballs and we love soup, both are always something thing I know the kids will devour, so what better than a delicious soup that includes both those things. The addition of orzo bulks it out into a more filling meal and that creamy soup base is so delicious.
Usually with soups, we find ourselves wanting bread of similar to make it more filling, but this is so hearty, it is a complete meal in a bowl.
Calories in Creamy Tomato Orzo Soup?
This recipe serves 6 and is 316 calories per serving.
If you're looking for more recipes within the same calorie range, you'll find an abundance of options in my dedicated collection of 500+ calorie recipes.
If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Extra Lean Ground chicken: I like to use 5% fat ground chicken for the meatballs, as it has just enough fat to keep them tender and juicy. I would not recommend going any leaner than this, as meatballs can end up too dry.
- Garlic: Used in both the meatballs and the sauce for lots of delicious savoury flavour.
- Fresh parsley: Adds freshness to the meatballs and helps lift all the flavours.
- Salt and black pepper: For seasoning both the meatballs and the sauce well.
- Olive Oil cooking spray: Great for frying the meatballs
- Extra virgin olive oil: Adds a little richness and flavour to the base of the sauce.
- Onion, carrot and red bell pepper: These finely diced vegetables make a really tasty base for the sauce and add lots of flavour, colour and a little natural sweetness.
- Herbes de Provence, sweet paprika and cayenne: This seasoning mix gives the dish loads of flavour. The Herbes de Provence adds that lovely herby note, the paprika adds warmth and depth, and the cayenne is optional if you want a little kick of heat.
- Canned plum tomatoes: Forms the base of the sauce and gives a rich tomato flavour. I alway recommend using a good quality brand of canned tomatoes, cheaper varieties while okay can tend to be a in a watery sauce and really acidic which really won't add depth and flavour the the recipe. I like to use san marzano plum tomatoes, there are various different brands of these, little on the more pricier side, but really make the best base for any tomato based recipe.
- Tomato paste: Adds extra depth and makes the sauce taste richer.
- Sugar: Just a small amount helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Chicken stock: Creates the broth for the orzo to cook in and adds plenty of savoury flavour.
- Orzo: A small pasta shape that cooks right in the sauce and makes this really hearty and comforting.
- Light cream cheese: Stirred in at the end for a creamy, silky finish without making the dish too heavy.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
You can easily switch up the protein in this recipe depending on what you have. Ground turkey works really well, or you can use lean ground beef or pork for a richer flavour. If you do not want to make meatballs, you can use diced chicken instead, just brown it in the pan and add all of the meatball seasonings straight to the chicken.
Orzo can be replaced with another small pasta shape such as ditalini, small shells or macaroni, but you may need to adjust the cooking time slightly depending on what you use. You can also add extra veg if you like, such as finely chopped courgette, celery or a handful of spinach stirred in at the end. A different colour bell pepper works fine too.
For the creamy finish, the light cream cheese adds a lovely rich tang, but you can swap this for a little coconut milk if you want to make it dairy free. Just keep in mind it will change the flavour slightly and give the dish a less tangy finish. A little parmesan stirred through or sprinkled on top is also delicious if you want an extra savoury boost.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The orzo will continue to soak up some of the liquid as it sits, so it may thicken a little.
Freezing: This can be frozen, but the texture of the orzo may be a little softer once thawed and reheated. Leave it to cool completely, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat in a saucepan over a low heat or in the microwave until piping hot throughout. You may need to add a splash of stock or water when reheating to loosen the sauce, especially if the orzo has absorbed more liquid.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
Looking for more delicious hearty soup recipes? Check out these:
- Chicken, Tomato and White Bean Soup (Stove Top and Instant Pot)
- Turkey Taco Soup (Stove Top and Pressure Cooker)
- Coconut Chicken Rice Soup
- Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Chickpea Spinach Soup
- Split Pea and Bacon Soup
- Thai Coconut Shrimp Noodle Soup (Instant Pot and Stove Top)
- Lemony Chicken Zucchini Rice Soup
- Minestrone Soup
or if you would like more recipe ideas or sides to make with this recipe - head on over to the FULL RECIPE INDEX where you will find over 900 delicious recipes with calories and you can search by meal type, ingredients, course, diet and more..
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Recipe Card
Creamy Tomato Orzo Soup with Chicken Meatballs
Flavoursome silky creamy tomato soup with orzo pasta and herby garlic chicken meatballs makes this a complete meal in a bowl that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 500g (17.5oz) of 5% fat ground chicken (mince)
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- pinch of black pepper
- low calorie cooking spray
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of Herbes de provence
- 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon of cayenne (optional, adds a little heat)
- 400g (14oz) of plum tomatoes, canned
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste (puree)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 6 cups (1.4litres)of chicken stock
- 175g (6oz) of uncooked orzo
- 125g (4.5oz) of light cream cheese
Instructions
- Add ingredients for the meatballs to a bowl and mix just until combined.
- Form into 25 mini meatballs
- Heat a large saucepan over a medium high heat, spray with some low calorie spray, add the meatballs and cook until lightly browned all over. Remove and set aside.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil to the saucepan, then add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper and garlic and fry until really softened and lightly caramelized (approx 6 minutes)
- Add in a pinch of salt, black pepper, Herbes de provence, paprika and cayenne and continue to fry until coated.
- Add in the plum tomatoes and break up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Stir in the tomato paste (puree), and then add in the stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar.
- Then remove lid, drop in the meatballs and stir in the orzo pasta and cream cheese until the creamy cheese is all melted and continue to simmer (for another 12-15 minutes approx) until the orzo is cooked and the soup thickens and is creamy.
- Ladle into bowl and enjoy.
- Great served just as it is or serve with a little sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan to the top (optional)
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly - see storing, freezing and reheating section
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Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 316Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gCholesterol 34mgSodium 657mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 4gSugar 10gProtein 24g
Nutritional information, syn values, points etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Dave says
Question: Is it ok to keep in the fridge and have over a number of days? I note your comment how orza soaks up liquid and overcook when reheated?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
yes that's fine, you may just need to add a bit more stock when reheating.
Sue says
What would be the best way to reheat this please or if you wanted to freeze it at point would you do this, thank you
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
fully defrost in the fridge and then reheat in a pan on a low heat, you may need to add a little more stock to loosen the sauce.
Kathy says
Could I make this in the crockpot?
Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says
This recipe has only been tested under the method given unfortunately.
Helene says
I love this recipe, I usually do it all through the winter! It’s also very easy to take to work for my lunch. I’m just too lazy to make the meatballs so I just leave the mince as is and brown it in the beginning (with the meatballs seasoning indicated in the recipe), and I use a food processor to blitz the pepper and the carrots in small pieces without having to spend a long time dicing them...