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This Ginger-Pork Meatball Noodle Soup is comfort in a bowl, perfect for those chilly winter evenings.
Ginger Pork Meatball Noodle Soup, a dish inspired by the rich, comforting flavors of traditional pho. Authentic pho is simmered for hours with roasted bones, charred onions, and spices to create its signature depth. My inspired version has a shortcut, starting with a good-quality store-bought beef broth. To quickly infuse it with those beautiful, aromatic notes, I grind star anise, cloves, and coriander seeds. This quickly elevates and deepens the flavor of the broth while I prepare the meatballs. The ginger pork meatballs, packed with fresh herbs, garlic, and Thai chiles, add a unique twist. It’s a simplified yet delicious pho-inspired noodle soup I hope you’ll love, too!
This Ginger-Pork Meatball Noodle Soup is both light and refreshing and rich and comforting – it’s truly the perfect balance! The tender broccoli sprouts, fresh basil and cilantro, and a refreshing squeeze of lime as garnishes add a fantastic touch just before serving.
Ingredients:
- Avocado Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Serrano Peppers
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Low-Sodium Beef Broth
- Fish Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Lime
- Star Anise
- Whole Cloves
- Coriander Seeds
- Bay Leaves
- Cinnamon Stick
- Fresh Cilantro
- Ground Pork
- Green Onions
- Thai Chili
- Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs
- Rice Noodles
- Broccoli Sprouts
- Thai Basil
- Sriracha optional for serving
Step-by-step:
step one: cook the veggies for the broth
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, halved serrano pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 4 minutes.
step two: add the broth liquids
Pour in the beef broth, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, and lime zest. Bring to a simmer.
step three: grind the spices
Meanwhile, place the star anise, whole cloves, and coriander seeds in a mortar. Use a pestle to press down and break the star anise into smaller pieces first, as it’s more rigid. Then, continue grinding in a circular motion, applying steady pressure to release the spices’ oils until they are coarsely ground. (Alternatively, you can place the spices in a sturdy zip-top bag. Use the bottom of a heavy pan or a rolling pin to press and smash the spices into a coarse blend.)
step four: add the spices and let the broth simmer
Add the crushed spices to the broth, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cilantro. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the broth simmer gently while you prepare the meatballs.
step five: prep the oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
step six: form and bake the meatballs
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the ginger-pork meatballs and mix until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-inch round meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and par-bake the meatballs for about 8 minutes, just until they hold their form and are lightly browned on top (they don’t need to be fully cooked through).
step seven: add the cooked meatballs to the broth
Carefully add the meatballs to the simmering broth. Cover and let them finish cooking and become tender in the broth, about 10 more minutes. *Remove the bay leaves, serrano pepper halves, and cinnamon sticks before serving.
step eight: cook the rice noodles
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles.
step nine: garnish and serve!
To serve, add some rice noodles to the bottom of a shallow bowl. Ladle the broth and 3-4 meatballs over the noodles. Garnish as desired—I top mine with broccoli sprouts, fresh Thai basil and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The broth has some heat, but if you love spice, add a squeeze of sriracha or a few slices of fresh serrano peppers.
Recipe FAQs:
The broth itself definitely has some spice, but it’s not overwhelming! You can add spice when serving by topping with fresh sliced serrano peppers or squeezing on some sriracha.
You could absolutely make the broth and meatballs ahead of time and warm them on the stove while you make a fresh batch of rice noodles. I wouldn’t recommend storing it with the rice noodles already added, as they tend to get soggy after a bit in the refrigerator.
I hope your family loves this Ginger-Pork Meatball noodle soup as much as mine does! Let me know what you think after you try it out!
Looking for more soup recipes? Try these!
Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ginger-Pork Meatball Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the Broth:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
- 1 serrano halved
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce use San J brand to keep Gluten-Free
- Zest of 1 lime
- 2 Star anise
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- ½ cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
For the Ginger-Pork Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 green onions minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Thai chili minced (1 for mild, 2 for spicier)
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce use San J brand to keep Gluten-Free
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs I use Aleia Brand
For Serving:
- 14- ounce package rice noodles
- Broccoli sprouts
- Fresh herbs cilantro, Thai basil
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- Sriracha or fresh sliced serrano peppers optional for SPICIER
Instructions
Make the Broth:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, halved serrano pepper, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in the beef broth, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, and lime zest. Bring to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, place the star anise, whole cloves, and coriander seeds in a mortar. Use a pestle to press down and break the star anise into smaller pieces first, as it’s more rigid.
- Then, continue grinding in a circular motion, applying steady pressure to release the spices’ oils until they are coarsely ground. (Alternatively, you can place the spices in a sturdy zip-top bag. Use the bottom of a heavy pan or a rolling pin to press and smash the spices into a coarse blend.)
- Add the crushed spices to the broth, along with the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and cilantro.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the broth simmer gently while you prepare the meatballs.
Make the Meatballs:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the ginger-pork meatballs and mix until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-inch round meatballs and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and par-bake the meatballs for about 8 minutes, just until they hold their form and are lightly browned on top (they don’t need to be fully cooked through).
- Carefully add the meatballs to the simmering broth. Cover and let them finish cooking and become tender in the broth, about 10 more minutes. *Remove the bay leaves, serrano pepper halves, and cinnamon sticks before serving.
Finish the Pho:
- Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles.
- To serve, add some rice noodles to the bottom of a shallow bowl. Ladle the broth and 3-4 meatballs over the noodles.
- Garnish as desired—I top mine with broccoli sprouts, fresh Thai basil and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The broth has some heat, but if you love spice, add a squeeze of sriracha or a few slices of fresh serrano peppers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Food Photography and Styling by Eat Love Eats.
This was delightful! I tried a pho-type recipe once and it came out tasteless so this was a nice surprise that you could actually taste all the flavors. It was a little spicy the first day (I definitely overdid it with the serranos on top!) but it was absolutely amazing the next and so comforting on a rainy day. I also used ground turkey instead of pork and it worked great.