This hearty Italian Meatball Soup is the ultimate comfort food! With tender homemade, meatballs, vegetables and pasta in a delicious tomato-based broth with Parmesan cheese, it’s a delight for your taste buds!
1slicesoft bread(about ¾ cup fluffed bread crumbs)
½lbground beef
½lbground pork
½cupshredded parmesan cheese(fresh if possible)
1egg
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonpepper
Meatball Soup
2large carrots(peeled and chopped)
2ribscelery(chopped)
1small onion(finely chopped)
2tablespoonstomato paste
3clovesgarlic
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
1teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonred pepper flakes
1bay leaf
4cupslow sodium chicken broth
1can diced or crushed tomatoes (28oz/798 ml)
1parmesan rind
1cupditalini pasta(uncooked)
2cupsspinach(roughly chopped)
½cupmarinara sauce
Instructions
Meatballs
Tear bread into small pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Process until the bread is in fine crumbs.
In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, beef, pork, cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper — don’t overmix. Let sit for 10-20 minutes.
Shape into 1″ balls (I get about 30-35) and place on a plate.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. They do not have to be cooked through. Remove from the pot and set aside. (*OPTIONAL: you can also bake the meatballs if you do not want the juices in the soup — see instructions below)
Meatball Soup
Add the carrots, celery, and onion (no need to clean out the pot!) and cook in the leftover fat from the meatballs for about 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Add tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and Parmesan rind and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.
Stir in the uncooked pasta and meatballs. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, then cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
Stir in spinach and marinara sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve.
Video
Notes
To bake your meatballs: If you prefer not to have the extra fat and juices from the meatballs in your soup, you can bake them at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until browned on the outside.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Meatballs: you can use store-bought meatballs to save yourself some time if necessary. Simply throw them in with the pasta near the end of the recipe -- no need to brown them first.
Ground beef and pork: you can use almost any ground meat for these meatballs -- ground chicken or ground turkey would be good, leaner options as well. You can also substitute some or all of the meat for ground Italian sausage for more flavor.
Bread crumbs: fresh bread crumbs make meatballs so moist, but you can use dried bread crumbs in a pinch. Use about ⅓ cup dried bread crumbs in place of fresh.
Egg: a flax egg will work just fine if you would like to make this recipe egg-free.
Pasta: you can use any kind of short pasta here, or even broken spaghetti noodles. Keep in mind that they may require a different cooking time or absorb more moisture.
Prep ahead:
You can make and bake the meatballs in advance and store them in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can chop all of the vegetables and store them in the fridge for several days before preparing this soup.
You can prepare the soup up until the pasta is added, then store it (without the pasta and spinach) for up to 4 days in the fridge. Simply cook the pasta and stir into the soup with the spinach to serve. If you refrigerate with the pasta, it may become bloated and will not have an al dente texture.
Storage
Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. As it sits, the flavors will meld together, so the leftovers are delicious too! Make sure to allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
Freeze: This soup freezes well. Pour the soup once it has cooled to room temperature into airtight containers or freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat it gently on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If the soup is too thick, add a little bit of broth or water to reach your desired consistency.