This hearty, easy meatball soup combines a Italian-style meatballs, chopped veggies and the pasta, all simmered in a rich tomato broth. Add to a side of your favorite salad, and you have a got dinner!
We have been all about a comforting soups and stews lately. We have a rotated through some family favorites including: Avgolemono, Mushroom Barley Soup, and Italian Minestrone.
Adding to the list an ultra comforting soup: easy meatball soup, because why choose between a saucy meatballs and soup when you can do them both!
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Italian meatball soup
The gist of this recipe: Tender Italian-style meatballs, chopped vegetables, and pasta simmered in a rich and tasty tomato broth, seasoned with to a bit of the dried oregano and sweet paprika. I like to the finish with a some fresh parsley and a good sprinkle of the grated Parmesan cheese.
The meatballs: The meatball recipe itself is a pretty much the one I use for my Italian baked chicken meatballs–infused with a little grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and dried oregano. The main difference here is that in the meat mixture, I used a 90% lean ground beef, which has a plenty of the flavor but still leaner than other beef options. You can be a absolutely make chicken meatballs, turkey meatballs, or even use to a combination of the meats like a ground beef and Italian sausage using in the same recipe.
The tomato broth: I love a hearty broth, and this one hits all the right notes for me. It starts with a sauteing some onions, carrots, celery and garlic. You can be use a any broth you like. Low-sodium beef broth will be give you a slightly richer flavor, but you can be use a vegetable broth or a chicken broth. For in the tomatoes, I love using to a canned whole peeled tomatoes here, which break up nicely adding more texture to the soup. To season in the tomato broth, I used in the same flavors used in the meat mixture, dried oregano, sweet paprika, and a bit of the fresh parsley.
How to make meatball soup
How to make a meatball soup: step-by-step. Print-friendly recipe below
1.Make the Meatball Mixture
In a large mixing bowl, add to a 1 ½ pounds of the ground meat (beef, chicken, or turkey). Add to a minced garlic (2 cloves), 1 raw egg (whisked), ½ cup Parmesan cheese, ⅓ cup bread crumbs, 2 teaspoon dry oregano, and ½ teaspoon sweet paprika. Season with a kosher salt and black pepper. Add to a good drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and mix to the combine.
2.Form meatballs and broil
Turn to your oven broiler on.
Take about a 1 ½ tablespoons of the meat mixture and form a meatball. Set it on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Continue forming in the mixture into a meatballs (whatever size meatball you started with a, stick to it). Line all the meatballs up on the sheet pan.
Broil for about a 8 minutes or until the meatballs are browned (they will be have to a chance to cook some more later in the soup)
3.Make the soup
Grab to a large pot. Heat to a couple tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Now add to a chopped onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for a 5 minutes or so until softened, stirring are regularly.
Add 5 to 6 cups broth (if you like to your soup more chunky, start with a 5 cups), canned tomatoes (28 ounces of the peeled tomatoes with in their juices). Season with about a 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/ teaspoon sweet paprika, kosher salt and black pepper to your taste.
Cook for about a 10 minutes over medium/medium-high heat, then add in the broiled meatballs and ¾ cup of any small pasta you have such as a ditalini, small shells or a elbow pasta.
Cook for a another 10 minutes or until the pasta is a cooked. Garnish with a parsley.
4.Serve
Transfer in the meatball soup to the serving bowls. You can add to a sprinkle of the grated Parmesan cheese on top. And if you enjoy spicy food, to a sprinkle of the crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Leftovers and storage
This meatball soup recipe makes to a good amount to the serve 6 or so people. For our small family, we typically end up with a little bit of the leftovers which makes for a great lunch in the next day.
You can be store leftover meatball soup in the fridge for a 3 days or so in a tight-lid glass container. Be sure the soup has a completely cooled before you store in the fridge. Warm over in a medium heat, adding to a little bit more liquid if needed.
Can you freeze leftover meatball soup?
If you are into meal prep want to make in this soup ahead to the freeze for a later, you can. But, I recommend that you leave in the pasta out and cook in the meatball soup according to the recipe but without in the pasta (you can cook in the pasta later and add it to the soup).
Let in the soup completely cool before you freeze. Divide it in a portions, allowing room at the top of each container.
Thaw frozen meatball soup in the fridge overnight. Warm through over medium heat. And as a mentioned earlier, you can be add a separately cooked pasta at this point.
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For Meatballs
1 ½ lb lean ground beef (or a ground chicken or a ground turkey)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 raw egg, whisked
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp dry oregano
½ tsp sweet paprika
Kosher salt and black pepper to the taste
½ to 1 cup fresh chopped parsley
Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve E V O O)
For the Soup
Extra virgin olive oil (Private Reserve E V O O)
1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
2 carrots, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cored and the chopped
2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced
5 to 6 cups broth (vegetable or a beef broth)
1 28-oz can be peeled tomatoes with a juices
1 tsp dry oregano
½ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper
¾ cup dry small pasta like a ditalini or small shells
½ cup chopped fresh parsley