This Meatball Soup Recipe is full of tender and flavorful homemade meatballs, onions, garlic, carrots, spinach and ditalini pasta all in a savory and rich tomato broth with Italian seasonings. It is a hearty soup that is perfect for a family dinner.
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If you love meatballs you will not only love this Meatball Soup recipe, you will also want to check out all the other meatball recipes on Mom’s Dinner. Some of our favorites are Classic Italian Meatballs, Iowa Ham Balls (a recipe I grew up eating), and next level Swedish Meatballs!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This Italian Style Meatball Soup recipe is full of simple and fresh ingredients. This is also a great recipe to use up carrots and celery that have gone limp in the fridge!!!
See the ingredients pictured below for the meatballs.
Ground Beef: We recommend using an 85% lean ground beef. It has enough fat to be flavorful, but not too much to make your soup greasy.
Italian Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have Italian and you only have plain breadcrumbs, just add 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning to your breadcrumbs.
Parmesan: We recommend coarsely grinding your parmesan so you get little pockets of parmesan in your meatballs! Delish! You can also use Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or Grana Padano.
See the ingredients pictured below for the soup.
Beef Base: we love the Better Than Bouillon brand at the grocery store. It will be in soup aisle and comes in a tub or jar and is a paste. It has a ton of flavor, way more flavor than traditional bouillon.
Ditalini Pasta: this is a small tube pasta that has a thicker wall and holds up perfect in the meatball soup. It is also commonly used in Pasta e Fagioli Soup. You can also use other pasta shapes:
- elbow macaroni
- rotini
- cavatappi
- orzo
- any other small tube shaped pasta
Using Frozen Meatballs
If you are short on time you can absolutely use your favorite frozen meatball. Just use about 25 meatballs.
Simply pop them in the oven to warm them through per package instructions and then add them to the soup! Easy enough!
Step by Step Picture Instructions
This is actually a great soup recipe to make with a partner, family or older kids. One person can make the meatballs while the other person starts the soup!
Start by making the meatballs and getting them in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
In a mixing bowl combine the meatball ingredients. Then roll them into “walnut sized” meatballs. A small melon baller or cookie scoop works great for this process!
Spray the tops with non stick spray, this helps the browning process, especially since it’s a shorter cooking time!
Bake for 15 minutes.
MEANWHILE… get the soup started while the meatballs bake.
In a large pot add the oil and sauté the onions, carrots, celery and garlic for about 10 mins. Then stir in the seasonings, beef base, salt and pepper.
Pour in the beef broth, both tomatoes, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes.
At this point taste the broth for seasoning. If it is tangy or acidic add a teaspoon of sugar and taste again.
Pro Tip: Adding a little sugar to tomato based dishes is a great way to cut the acidity and make it more mild.
Finally, turn the heat to low. Add in the cooked meatballs and chopped spinach. Simmer for about 5 more minutes.
Remove the bay leaf, and it’s time to eat!
Serving
This soup is knock out delicious with some quality extra virgin olive oil drizzled into each bowl, parmesan shaved over top, and fresh basil torn and sprinkled in.
Storing & Freezing
Store leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The pasta will soak up some of the liquid so you may need to add some beef broth or water when reheating.
You can also freeze any leftovers, they will be good in the freezer for up to 3 motnhs. These Souper Cubes make freezing soup in portions super simple.
If you are making this ahead and freezing, wait to add the spinach when thawing and reheating.
Side Dishes for Meatball Soup
This Meatball Soup recipe is pretty much a complete meal on it’s own. You have the protein, starch and plenty of veggies.
However it is great with some warm bread or breadsticks served on the side for dipping! Believe me you will want to be sopping up every last drop in the bowl.
- Ciabatta Bread
- Crusty Italian Bread
- Garlic Knots
- Breadsticks
Recipe Tips
- Coarsely grind your parmesan in a food processor or blender for amazing parmesan flavor in the meatballs. (see photo below)
- Use an 85% lean ground beef for the meatballs; it has enough fat to be flavorful, but won’t make your meatball soup greasy.
- Don’t skip the beef base, it adds deep flavor to the broth.
- Taste the broth for seasoning (and acidity balance by adding sugar) before adding the meatballs and spinach.
- It will look like a mountain of spinach, but it cooks way down. Make sure to use all 4oz (about 3 generous cups).
More Meatball Recipes to Love!
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Italian Style Meatball Soup Recipe
Equipment
- small cookie scoop or melon baller (optional) for the meatballs
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 large egg - lightly beaten
- ¼ cup yellow onion - very finely diced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 lb. ground beef - 85% lean works well
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- ⅓ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Soup
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 cup carrots - diced
- 1 cup celery - diced
- 48 oz. beef broth or stock
- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano - (do not drain)
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes - (do not drain)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- ¾ tsp. each Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tsp. beef base - we love Better Than Bouillon brand
- 1 cup ditalini pasta (heaping cup)
- optional – sugar - to cut the acidity of the tomato
- 4 oz. fresh baby spinach – chopped - should equal about 3 cups
- non-stick spray
Garnish
- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
- Optional: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh chopped parsley or basil
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- For the meatballs, combine the lightly beaten egg, onion, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and garlic.1 large egg, ¼ cup yellow onion, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, Pinch of red pepper flakes, ½ tsp. Kosher salt, 2 cloves garlic
- Add in the ground beef, Parmigiano Reggiano and bread crumbs and lightly mix ingredients together.1 lb. ground beef, ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, ⅓ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- Roll the mixture into walnut size meatballs (should make approx. 25-30). Place on the prepared baking sheet and coat the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray.Pro Tip: a small cookie scoop or melon baller makes quick work of making meatballs!
- Bake for approx. 15-17 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.
Soup
- While the meatballs cook you can start the soup. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery.2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery
- Sauté, stirring frequently until the vegetable are tender (about 10 minutes).
- Stir in the beef base, seasonings, salt and pepper.1 tsp. Italian seasoning, ¾ tsp. each Kosher salt and black pepper, 2 tsp. beef base
- Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.48 oz. beef broth or stock, 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, 15 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 bay leaf
- Add in the 1 heaping cup pasta and simmer uncovered until the pasta is al dente (approx. 10 minutes).1 cup ditalini pasta (heaping cup)
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings if necessary (I like to add 1-2 teaspoon sugar at this point to cut the acidity of the tomatoes).optional – sugar
- Reduce the heat to low and add in the chopped spinach and baked meatballs. Lightly simmer for 5-10 minutes.4 oz. fresh baby spinach – chopped
- Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped fresh parsley or basil and large shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, Optional: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh chopped parsley or basil
Storing
- Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- The pasta will soak up some of the liquid while in the fridge. You may need to add some water or beef broth when reheating.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
- elbow macaroni
- cavatappi
- rotini
- orzo
- Coarsely grind your parmesan in a food processor or blender for amazing parmesan flavor in the meatballs.
- Use an 85% lean ground beef for the meatballs; it has enough fat to be flavorful, but won’t make your meatball soup greasy.
- Don’t skip the beef base, it adds deep flavor to the broth.
- Taste the broth for seasoning (and acidity balance by adding sugar) before adding the meatballs and spinach.
- It will look like a mountain of spinach, but it cooks way down. Make sure to use all 4oz (about 3 generous cups).
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