Meatball Soup

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1

Servings: servings

Calories: 428cal

Author: Ashley Fehr

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!

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Ingredients

Meatballs

1 slice soft bread (to make about ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs)
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Meatball Soup

2 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
2 ribs celery (finely chopped)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 bay leaf
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with juice (28oz or 798ml)
1 Parmesan rind
1 cup dry ditalini pasta
2 cups fresh spinach (roughly chopped)
½ cup marinara sauce

Instructions

Meatballs

Tear the 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 the bread crumbs, beef, pork, Parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Don’t overmix. Let sit for 10-20 minutes.
Shape the mixture into 30 to 35 1″ balls and place on a large plate.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. (They do not have to be cooked through.) Using a slotted spoon, remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside. Reserve the fat in the pot.

Meatball Soup

To the same pot (no need to clean it out first) over medium-high heat, add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook in the leftover fat from the meatballs for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender.
Add the tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, chili flakes, and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and Parmesan rind. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are nearly tender.
Stir in the uncooked pasta and meatballs. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until pasta is al dente.
Stir in the spinach and marinara sauce.
Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired before serving.

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.

Nutrition