Italian Meatball Soup
The COZIEST soup with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs, little pasta noodles (ditalini pasta) and sneaked in greens!
It’s freezing cold outside but I have everything I need right here with the coziest Italian meatball soup. It is basically a giant cozy hug in a bowl that just makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
Made with completely homemade little meatballs (store-bought is completely fine if you’re in a pinch), ditalini pasta (my favorite little tube-like pasta), and sneaked-in greens (totally fine to swap out spinach for the kale or your favorite greens).
It’s an incredibly versatile recipe, and I sometimes make it ahead of time, stirring in the kale right before serving. I also always have a fresh baguette on standby for dipping purposes.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Get more out of those expensive Parmesan cheeses by using up the leftover rinds! Adding a Parmesan rind slightly thickens the broth and adds a level of nutty richness to the soup.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Use short cut pasta. Ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta is ideal.
- Store pasta separately for leftovers. When planning for leftovers, store the cooked ditalini pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from soaking up all the broth.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEATBALL SOUP
- No Knead Rosemary Bread
- Baked Garlic Herb Potato Wedges
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Parmesan Zucchini and Corn
- Italian Chopped Salad
TOOLS FOR THIS RECIPE
Baking sheet
Dutch oven
ITALIAN MEATBALL SOUP: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Not at all! Ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead of ground beef.
Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store. While both panko and breadcrumbs can be used as a coating for fried foods, panko is much more flakier and yields a crunchier, crispier texture.
You can use either chicken broth or chicken stock but always season, to taste, as store-bought broth is often saltier than store-bought stock. Broth is made from meat and vegetables while stock is often lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the pasta (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked pasta when serving.
Recipe
Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and basil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs, about 1 tablespoon per meatball, forming about 45 meatballs.
3. Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes; set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
6. Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce and Parmesan rind, if using. Stir in meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
8. Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
9. Serve immediately.
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Suzie
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