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Home » Soup » Italian Meatball Soup

January 17, 2019 By Sara 49 Comments

Italian Meatball Soup

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This Italian meatball soup is tender beef meatballs, vegetables and pasta, all simmered in a rich tomato broth. An easy dinner option that’s perfect for a busy weeknight!

My family happens to love meatballs, especially the kids. I make sure to put meatballs on our dinner menu on a regular basis. I often do cheesy meatballs or Greek meatballs with rice, but sometimes I like to mix things up a bit and serve this hearty meatball soup.

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Italian meatball soup with beef meatballs, ditalini pasta and vegetables in a tomato broth.

Soup is always a great option when it’s cold outside, and I find myself making this meatball soup constantly during the winter months. It has similar flavors to the classic spaghetti and meatballs, but in soup form. Best of all, my kids adore it and happily eat the veggies in this soup!

How do you make meatball soup?

The first step is to make your meatballs. We’re going Italian style here, and these meatballs contain seasoned breacrumbs, herbs and spices, parmesan cheese, garlic and an egg to bind everything together. I broil my meatballs to brown them, and this step ensures that the meatballs will hold their shape in the soup.

Ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, herbs and parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl.

While the meatballs are in the oven, I make the base of the soup which includes carrots, onion, celery and plenty of tomato. After the meatballs come out of the oven, they go into the soup to simmer away with the vegetables. The final step is a handful of pasta, which cooks in the broth until tender.

Raw meatballs on a sheet pan ready to go into the oven.

Tips for Meatball Soup

  • I use 90% lean ground beef. It has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
  • You can use any short pasta you like for this soup. I use ditalini, but other great choices are macaroni, rotini or orzo pasta.
  • This soup makes great leftovers, but just be aware that the pasta will continue to soak up the broth as it sits in the fridge. You may need to add more broth when you go to reheat your soup.
  • Meatball soup is hearty enough to stand alone as a complete meal, or you can serve it with a side of garlic knots.
  • I like to make my meatballs on the smaller side (about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size), it’s easier to eat them in the soup that way.

Sauteed carrots, onions and celery in a soup pot.

Meatball Soup Variations

There are so many different ways to customize meatball soup – you can use different types of meat, add more vegetables or change up the seasonings.

  • Sausage & Mushroom: Use 50% Italian sausage, 50% ground beef in the meatballs, and add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms when you stir in the pasta.
  • Turkey & Spinach: Use ground turkey instead of beef, and swap out the beef broth for chicken broth. Add 2 cups of baby spinach leaves to the soup during the last few minutes of the cook time.
  • Veggie Lovers: Add 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetables during the last 5 minutes of the cook time.

A bowl of meatball soup topped with chopped parsley and grated cheese.

I serve this meatball soup with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for the perfect finish. Your family is sure to enjoy this soup as much as my family does!

More great soup recipes

  • Mexican Chicken Soup
  • Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Mexican Meatball Soup
  • Cabbage Roll Soup
  • Hamburger Soup
Italian meatball soup with beef meatballs, ditalini pasta and vegetables in a tomato broth.
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5 from 22 votes

Italian Meatball Soup

This Italian meatball soup is tender beef meatballs, vegetables and pasta, all simmered in a rich tomato broth. An easy dinner option that's perfect for a busy weeknight!
Course Soup
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian meatball soup, meatball soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 279kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
  • 1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • cooking spray

For the soup

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup onion finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes do not drain
  • 16 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup dry short pasta such as ditalini
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
  • parmesan cheese for serving optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the broiler.
  • For the meatballs: place all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Stir with a large spoon or use your hands to combine all the ingredients. You can add a few teaspoons of water if needed to make the process easier.
  • Shape the meat mixture into small balls (1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size). Place on a sheet pan lined with cooking spray. Coat the tops of the meatballs with cooking spray.
  • Broil for 8-10 minutes until meatballs are lightly browned.
  • While the meatballs are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots.
  • Cook the vegetables for 4-5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
  • Bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and pasta to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables are tender.
  • Top with parsley. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 640mg | Potassium: 982mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4145IU | Vitamin C: 16.5mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 4.7mg

Filed Under: Dinner, Soup Tagged With: Ground Beef, Meatballs, Pasta

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Comments

  1. Susan says

    February 19, 2021 at 4:25 am

    Can this be made in an Instant Pot? Will it make it any better than the standard recipe?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 19, 2021 at 8:36 pm

      While you could technically make it in an Instant Pot I don’t think it would improve the flavor!

      Reply
  2. Sue says

    January 22, 2021 at 4:47 pm

    Delicious!
    Are used premade meatballs for a quick dinner served it with salad and rolls it was perfect

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    October 28, 2020 at 7:16 am

    Could you make this recipe in a crockpot.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 28, 2020 at 4:25 pm

      Yes that should be fine, add the pasta during the last 30 minutes!

      Reply
  4. Tonya says

    October 26, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    I am going to try this recipe soon. I have chicken meatballs would those be okay to substitute?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 26, 2020 at 3:10 pm

      That should be fine!

      Reply
  5. Charlotte says

    October 24, 2020 at 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    A hearty, tasty soup. Followed the instructions and added the Swiss chard from my end of year garden and a Parmesan rind. My husband really enjoyed this. Will make again and freeze half as suggested.

    Reply
  6. Jhow says

    September 4, 2020 at 10:58 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful recipe! Made a double batch so I can freeze for a future meal. I only put pasta in the batch we ate and will add it again when I reheat in the future. I love prepped meals so this worked wonderfully. My family loves most soups, but this got rave reviews! Added a few extra vegetables(green beans and peas) as I love to sneak those in. Other than that followed the recipe exactly.

    Reply
  7. Weegie says

    June 7, 2020 at 2:58 pm

    5 stars
    AMAZING!!! Was looking for a way to use up some tomato sauce that I had left over . So glad I found this recipe. Its so simple And quick due too I already had meatballs pre-made and frozen in the freezer.

    Reply
  8. Roslyn Ventrella says

    May 18, 2020 at 8:53 am

    5 stars
    Love all your recipes, this one a winner also.

    Reply
  9. Debbie says

    April 26, 2020 at 8:46 am

    Will this soup work with store bought meatballs?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      April 26, 2020 at 7:16 pm

      Yes that’s totally fine!

      Reply
  10. Felicia Zaffiro says

    March 15, 2020 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Love the recipe added more vegetables and no pasta…very yummy and healthy

    Thanks

    Reply
  11. NANCY NOSEDA says

    December 28, 2019 at 8:25 pm

    5 stars
    My kids and daughter in law loved it. My middle don is a picky eater. He does not like soup but this one he loved Thank you.

    Reply
  12. Brandi says

    December 2, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    5 stars
    So hearty on a cold day. Delicious!

    Reply
  13. Kim says

    October 27, 2019 at 11:13 am

    Can I use chunky pasta sauce instead of crushed tomatoes?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 27, 2019 at 1:53 pm

      Yes that’s fine!

      Reply
  14. Freda says

    October 15, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    My granddaughters loved this soup and they are picky eaters! It is so delicious … Thank you !

    Reply
  15. Laura says

    October 5, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    I was wondering…how many meatballs does this generally make?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 6, 2019 at 11:00 pm

      About 18 meatballs!

      Reply
  16. Marisuz says

    August 9, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    5 stars
    I just made this tonight. Excellent! My husband loves it. Thanks for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Sheila says

      August 14, 2020 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this tonight.Love it!
      I added Hunts pasta sause with sausage flavor and sliced zucchini instead of celery. Thanks for sharing. Smells amazing!

      Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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