Italian Meatball Soup
Yield: 6 servings
Made with tender homemade meatballs, pasta, and veggies, this Italian Meatball Soup is cozy, comforting, and filled with the flavors of Italy. Perfect for chilly winter days!
Ingredients
for the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
for the soup:
- 1 tablespoono unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- 3 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 28 ounces Red Gold®️ Whole Peeled Tomatoes - or substitute 1 can (14.5 ounces) Diced Tomatoes plus 1 can (15 ounces) Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 can 6 ounces Red Gold®️ Tomato Paste
- 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth
- 6 large leaves fresh basil torn
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- freshly shredded Parmesan optional for serving
Instructions
- For the meatballs: In a medium bowl combine beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to combine evenly, or fold with a wooden spoon.
- Form mixture into 40 meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each. I use a small scoop to portion quickly and evenly.
- Heat a large Dutch oven (or another heavy-bottomed soup pot) over medium to medium-high heat. I use a 6.75 quart Dutch oven - it's a great size for this recipe. Add olive oil. Once oil is shimmery, add meatballs. Turn meatballs occasionally, until all sides are nicely browned. Remove meatballs to a plate.
- For the soup: Using same Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat, add butter and olive oil. Once shimmery, stir in onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are softened.
- Dice half of the whole peeled tomatoes and add to pot. Randomly chop and then crush the remaining whole peeled tomatoes, using the back of a fork or a rigid pastry cutter. Add to the pot any accumulated juices and any tomato juice left in the can.
- Stir in tomato paste, to taste - I like to use between 4 and 6 ounces. Add beef broth, basil, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and meatballs. Turn heat up a bit and cook just until soup starts to boil. Then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes or until meatballs are fully cooked and vegetables are soft and tender.
- While soup is simmering, cook ditalini pasta in boiling salted water, until al dente. Do not over cook. Drain pasta and set aside.
- To serve: Add cooked ditalini pasta to individual bowls and then ladle soup over the top. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan over the top.
Video
Notes
Cooking the pasta separately ensures that the pasta will not absorb excess liquid from the soup, which makes the pasta mushy. This is especially important if you anticipate having leftovers. I follow this same method when making Lasagna Soup.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 260kcal Carbohydrates: 12g Protein: 22g Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 5g Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 81mg Sodium: 709mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.