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Bursting with flavor and ready in only 30 minutes, my Italian Meatball Soup Recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner or cozy comfort food. No matter if you’re using frozen meatballs or freshly homemade, my easy meatball soup recipe is sure to become a family favorite!
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Soup with Meatballs
If there’s one thing always stocked in my freezer, it’s homemade meatballs, whether it’s my Italian style meatballs, air fried meatballs, or pressure cooker meatballs. I make sure to make a big batch every month to use for all sorts of meals, and one of my favorites is easily Italian soup with meatballs! It’s as comforting as a soup can get!
My Italian meatball soup is just begging to be eaten out of a mug while cozied up on the couch. Not to mention, it’s fast and easy! You can have this soup ready to enjoy in 30 minutes or even less, if you’re using frozen or leftover meatballs.
Why You’ll Love My Meatball Soup
Kids love Italian meatball soup with veggies
We all know that getting kids to eat their veggies can be a tricky thing! That’s something I love about this soup recipe. It’s stuffed with hidden veggies that your kids won’t even notice. It’s kind of like the kid-favorite spaghetti and meatballs, but remixed into an easy, veggie-packed soup!
Leftover meatball soup tastes even better
Some recipes might as well be made for meal prep, and this Italian soup with meatballs is one of them. This easy meatball soup recipe develops in flavor over time, so the leftovers have even more flavor than the fresh soup. I like making a big pot of it a day ahead of time so I can have no-effort dinner the next day.
You can add in whatever you like to meatball soup
Italian Meatball soup recipes are rich and varied because there are so many ways to customize them to be exactly what you want. Change up the veggies, use a different pasta shape, or add a dash of heavy cream for a creamy meatball soup. You really can’t go wrong!
Meatball Tortellini Soup
Make it a delicious Meatball Tortellini Soup by swapping out the pasta for your favorite tortellini! Because tortellini is already soft, you should only need to simmer it for 5-6 minutes. Tortellini soup with meatballs is a super filling and delicious treat!
Meatball Italian Soup Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- Ground beef: I prefer to use a nice lean ground beef, around 85% lean. You can also use a higher fat ground beef and mix it with ground pork or turkey.
- Grated Parmesan cheese: Grate your own Parmesan for the best results. You don’t want to use the grated shaker parm, as it’s too dry.
- Breadcrumbs: I prefer unseasoned breadcrumbs as I add my own seasoning, but you can use Italian breadcrumbs, too! Or, swap it out for two slices of white bread soaked in milk.
- Egg: Egg acts as a binder, keeping the meatballs from falling apart. This is especially important in soup!
- Minced garlic cloves: I highly recommend fresh garlic. It has a more full flavor that works perfectly in Italian recipes.
- Oregano: I like using fresh herbs in my meatballs! However, you can also use dried, or swap it out for more Italian seasoning.
- Basil: Use fresh basil if you can get it; it has a much brighter, spicier flavor than dried!
- Parsley: Fresh parsley has a more bright and juicy flavor than dried, which infuses beautifully into the meat.
- Italian seasoning: I like to make my own Italian seasoning! But you can also use your favorite mix.
- Coarse kosher salt: Use a nice coarse salt, like kosher or sea salt, for the best flavor. Table salt gets metallic when baked.
- Ground black pepper: Freshly ground black pepper will have the best heat.
- Olive oil: A little olive oil is all it takes to keep these meatballs from sticking. You can also use avocado oil or spray oil.
Using Frozen Meatballs
You can also use frozen meatballs! Just bake them before adding them to the soup; adding them in frozen brings down the temperature of the water, resulting in poorly cooked pasta. Leftover meatballs work too!
Meatball Noodle Soup Ingredients
- White onion: White onion has a great clean flavor that mildly sweetens the soup. Dice it as finely as you desire; I like it quite fine!
- Grated carrots: Grating carrots makes them into nice soft shreds that spoon up easily and don’t take long to get soft, which is important in such a fast soup recipe! I don’t recommend dicing them, as they won’t soften in time.
- Minced garlic cloves: Minced fresh garlic brings in that delicious Italian flare and turns out rich and flavorful in soup.
- Olive oil: Olive oil or avocado oil will both work great! I prefer olive oil for this recipe as the flavor is perfect for Italian soup.
- Beef broth: Beef broth or stock adds a rich, dark flavor to the soup, which is great with the meatballs.
- Crushed tomatoes (canned): If you want, you can use fire-roasted or seasoned crushed tomatoes! I use plain, and add my own seasonings.
- Vegetable stock or chicken stock: A mix of stocks makes for a rounder, more complex flavor. I like mixing in either chicken or veggie stock with the beef broth.
- Italian seasoning: You can swap out dried Italian seasonings with fresh herbs. I have a herb garden and tend to just dump in a handful of diced fresh herbs!
- Red pepper flakes: The red pepper flakes are the only source of heat in this recipe. If you want to avoid spice, leave them out.
- Ditalini pasta: I love Ditalini pasta for soups. It has a great shape that soaks up broth! It’s not a requirement, however, and you can use any other small pasta shape you want, or even swap it out for barley or quinoa.
- Red bell peppers, finely chopped: Red bell peppers have a nice sweet flavor that tastes wonderful in soup! You can swap it out for green peppers for a sharper, more bitter twist.
- Parsley, chopped: As garnish.
- Parmesan cheese: As garnish. I tend to add more for kids.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
How to Make Meatball Soup
Making Meatballs for Soup
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this is important!) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all meatball ingredients except the olive oil. Mix with a spatula or with clean hands until completely combined, no more than 40 seconds; you don’t want the mixture to get too mixed or it will turn out tough.
- Using a Tablespoon measure, spoon, or ice cream soup, create small meatball portions from the meat mixture, and roll them with your hands. As these meatballs are for soup, you’ll want to make them nice and small.
- Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between them.
- Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush the meatballs with olive oil.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven, and broil or bake for 8-12 minutes, until well browned.
Meatball Soup Recipe Instructions
- As the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot. Once warm, add the grated carrots, garlic, and diced onion.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
- Pour the beef broth or stock, can of crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Bring the pot to a simmer. Don’t let it boil; the stock can overcook and turn bitter! Add the cooked meatballs, pasta, and red bell peppers.
- Simmer for 10 additional minutes, uncovered, or until the pasta is al dente. You don’t need to cook it any longer than that, as the pasta will finish softening in the broth.
- Top with herbs and cheese if desired, and serve!
Meatball Soup Recipe Expert Tips
- Do yourself a favor and make extra meatballs for later. Then you can use them in just about anything! My family’s all-time favorite is Sunday Gravy. I make it every time we get together!
- If you want a less spicy soup, omit or reduce the red pepper flakes.
- Go wild with veggies! This soup tastes incredible with spinach or kale added to the broth.
- My favorite soup pasta is Ditalini, but you can use any small pasta you’d like. Stars, wagon wheels, orzo, acini de pepe, small shells, or even quinoa or barley work great. These all work great with the flavor of the tomato sauce broth.
- Don’t worry if it seems thin. As it cools, the starches from the pasta will thicken the broth.
- You can easily double or even triple this recipe without changing any of the steps. I recommend making extra, then storing at least half of it in the freezer!
- I recommend using stock instead of broth, if you can find it; it has more flavor and thickens up better! That said, broth will still taste delicious.
- You can use ground turkey or chicken, too. Turkey meatball soup or chicken meatball soup tastes just as good. Just be careful with the meatballs as they take longer to cook than beef meatballs!
Storing Leftover Meatball Soup
- Cooling: To cool the soup quickly for storage, fill the sink with cold water and place the pot in the sink. This is important, as it lets the soup cool quickly to avoid sitting out too long.
- Refrigerator: Transfer the soup to airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. If it’s still warm, place it far away from perishable items like milk.
- Freezer: Freezing Italian meatball soup is easy! Cool the soup using an ice bath, then transfer to multiple freezer-safe containers or freezer bags; I prefer to portion it out into serving sized containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight. I don’t recommend heating from frozen as it can heat unevenly and turn the pasta to dust!
- Reheating: This soup does best reheating on the stove over medium heat, stirred occasionally. You can also reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until heated through. Stir often, as soup rarely heats evenly!
Recipe for Meatball Soup FAQ
Yes! However, don’t add them while they’re frozen. Instead, bake them or thaw them in the fridge, then add them in. Frozen meatballs will rapidly cool the water, making the soup take longer to cook and messing with the texture of the pasta.
If you have premade vegetarian or vegan meatballs, they’re great in soup! Just cook them thoroughly beforehand. They may be crumblier, but that won’t effect the flavor of the soup.
They absolutely can, and I recommend it! You can prepare the meatballs a day ahead and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or freeze them for up to 3 months. You can even make the broth ahead of time; just leave out the pasta and add it in once you’re ready to heat the soup. Then combine everything, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
Comfort Food Soup Recipes
- Paprika Mushroom Soup – Easily one of my favorites. It’s so tasty!
- Diced Ham Soup – Perfect for the holiday season!
- Turkey Leftovers Soup – Make use of every part of your Thanksgiving turkey!
- Italian Wedding Meatball Soup
- New England Chowder – Creamy and delicious, and so easy.
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Recipe
Italian Meatball Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Cookie scoop Small size (scoop diameter: 1.6inch/4cm, 1.2Tbsp/23ml/0.8oz).
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef 85% lean
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Soup Ingredients
- 1 cup white onion
- 2 carrots grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups beef broth
- 20 ounce crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ cup ditalini pasta
- ½ cup red bell peppers finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons parsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
- Salt
- pepper
Instructions
Preparing the Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this is important!) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all meatball ingredients except the olive oil. Mix with a spatula or with clean hands until completely combined, no more than 40 seconds; you don't want the mixture to get too mixed or it will turn out tough.1 pound ground beef, ⅓ cup grated parmesan, ⅓ cup breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Using a Tablespoon measure, spoon, or ice cream soup, create small meatball portions from the meat mixture, and roll them with your hands. As these meatballs are for soup, you'll want to make them nice and small.
- Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush the meatballs with olive oil.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven, and broil or bake for 8-12 minutes, until well browned.
Assembling the Meatball Soup
- As the meatballs are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pot. Once warm, add the grated carrots, garlic, and diced onion.1 cup white onion, 2 carrots, 2 garlic cloves, 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until softened.
- Pour the beef broth or stock, can of crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.4 cups beef broth, 20 ounce crushed tomatoes, 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Bring the pot to a simmer. Don't let it boil; the stock can overcook and turn bitter! Add the cooked meatballs, pasta, and red bell peppers.1½ cup ditalini pasta, ½ cup red bell peppers
- Simmer for 10 additional minutes, uncovered, or until the pasta is al dente. You don't need to cook it any longer than that, as the pasta will finish softening in the broth.
- Top with herbs and cheese if desired, and serve!2 Tablespoons parsley, 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, Salt, pepper
Notes
- Cooling: To cool the soup, fill the sink with cold water and place the pot in the sink. This allows the soup to cool quickly and safely, and not sit out for too long.
- Refrigerator: Transfer the soup to airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. If it’s still warm, place it far away from perishable items like milk.
- Freezer: Cool the soup using an ice bath, then transfer to multiple freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. I prefer to portion it out into serving sized containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight. For best results, thaw, and don’t heat from frozen.
- Reheating: This soup does best reheating on the stove over medium heat, stirred occasionally. You can also reheat it in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Stir often.
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