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This hearty Italian meatball soup is everything you want on a chilly night, tender baked meatballs and little ditalini pasta in a rich, tomatoey broth loaded with vegetables. It is pure cozy comfort in a bowl, and my whole family lights up when they see it simmering on the stove. Serve it with a hunk of our garlic cheese bread for dunking and you have a complete, soul warming dinner the whole table will love.
Baking the meatballs first keeps them tender and the broth clear and clean.
Meatball Soup Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 385kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Hearty, savory, and tomatoey with tender meatballs
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a cozy one pot soup like our Italian wedding soup
Quick Answer
Mix ground beef with parmesan, panko, egg, and seasonings, roll into small meatballs, and bake until golden. Meanwhile, saute onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in a soup pot, then add beef stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Add the meatballs and simmer, stir in ditalini pasta until al dente, then finish with parmesan and fresh basil.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Baked meatballs stay tender. Baking the meatballs instead of dropping them in raw keeps them moist and keeps the broth clean and clear instead of cloudy.
- A veggie base builds depth. Sauteing onion, carrot, and celery first creates a sweet, savory foundation that makes the whole soup taste like it simmered all day.
- Two tomatoes for body. Diced tomatoes add texture while tomato sauce gives the broth a rich, velvety body and deep tomato flavor.
- Ditalini is the perfect pasta. Little ditalini cook quickly and scoop up perfectly on a spoon with a meatball in every bite.
- Fresh basil and parmesan finish. Stirring in parmesan and torn basil at the end brightens the soup and adds that fresh, salty, Italian flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a cozy, complete dinner in one pot, hearty enough to satisfy and comforting on any cold night.
- Tender baked meatballs and little pasta in a rich tomato broth make it an instant family favorite.
- It is freezer friendly and reheats beautifully, perfect for meal prep right alongside our homemade focaccia.
Key Ingredients
Two simple parts, easy meatballs and a rich tomato broth, come together for one hearty soup. Here is what each brings.
- Ground beef, parmesan, and panko: The base for tender, flavorful meatballs that hold together and stay juicy.
- Onion, carrot, and celery: The classic soup trio that builds a sweet, savory foundation for the broth.
- Beef stock, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce: Together they create a rich, deeply flavored tomato broth with body and texture.
- Ditalini pasta: Small tube pasta that cooks quickly and makes the soup hearty and spoonable.
- Italian seasoning, parmesan, and fresh basil: The Italian flavor that ties it all together, finished fresh right before serving.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This meatball soup is easy to adapt to your taste.
- Use frozen meatballs: Short on time? Swap in store bought or frozen meatballs to get dinner on the table even faster.
- Add greens: Stir in a few handfuls of spinach or kale at the end for an extra dose of vegetables.
- Different pasta: Use any small pasta like orzo, small shells, or broken spaghetti in place of ditalini.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or use hot Italian sausage in the meatballs for some heat.
- Lighter version: Use ground turkey or chicken for the meatballs and low sodium stock for a lighter soup.
How to Make Meatball Soup
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, parmesan, panko, garlic powder, onion powder, egg, salt, and pepper until just combined.
- Roll the mixture into small meatballs, place on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until golden.
- While the meatballs bake, saute the onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil until softened, then add the garlic.
- Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, and Italian seasoning to the pot.
- Add the baked meatballs, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the ditalini pasta and simmer about 10 minutes until al dente, stirring frequently.
- Discard the bay leaves, stir in the parmesan and torn fresh basil, and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Bake, do not boil, the meatballs. Baking keeps them tender and the broth clear. Dropping raw meatballs in clouds the soup.
- Dice the veggies small. Small, even pieces cook quickly and give you a little vegetable in every spoonful.
- Watch the pasta. Add the ditalini near the end and stir often so it cooks evenly and does not stick to the bottom.
- Cook pasta separately for leftovers. If you plan to save a lot, cook the pasta on the side so it does not soak up all the broth.
- Use a cookie scoop. A scoop makes evenly sized meatballs fast so they cook at the same rate.
- Finish fresh. Add the parmesan and basil off the heat right before serving for the brightest flavor.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This meatball soup is a complete meal on its own, but a crusty side makes it even better. Serve it with our garlic cheese bread for dunking up every last drop.
Round out the table with a simple green salad and a wedge of warm focaccia for a cozy Italian dinner.
Leftovers are even better the next day. Store the soup and any extra pasta separately, then combine and reheat gently so the noodles stay perfectly tender.
Meatball Soup FAQs
Yes. To save time, swap in about a pound of frozen or store bought meatballs. Add them to the simmering broth and heat through, skipping the meatball mixing and baking steps.
Pasta keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so it softens over time. For the best texture, add the ditalini near the end, and if making ahead, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl.
Absolutely. The soup tastes even better the next day. Store the broth and meatballs separate from the pasta so the noodles stay firm, then combine and reheat when ready to serve.
Yes, the soup and meatballs freeze well for up to three months. Freeze without the pasta, then thaw, reheat, and stir in freshly cooked ditalini just before serving.
Small pasta like ditalini is ideal because it cooks fast and fits on a spoon with the meatballs. Orzo, small shells, or broken spaghetti all work well too.
Crusty bread, garlic bread, or focaccia are perfect for dunking, and a simple green salad rounds out the meal. A sprinkle of extra parmesan on top never hurts.
Craving another cozy bowl? Simmer up our Italian wedding soup next.
For another hearty Italian soup, try our one-pot lasagna soup loaded with sausage, tomato broth, and creamy ricotta.
Love a hearty bowl? Try our creamy tomato soup with tortellini next.
carrot soup recipe
carrot soup recipe
For an Italian party spread, add our meatball sliders.
Italian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 large egg well beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup small-diced sweet onion
- 1 cup small-diced carrot
- 1 cup small-diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups beef stock
- 14.5 ounce canned Italian style petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 & 1/2 cups uncooked ditalini pasta
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 10 fresh basil leaves roughly torn by hand
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, parmesan, panko bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, egg, salt, and pepper, I find using my hands for this makes it easier.
- Form the meat mixture into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls, I like to use a cookie scoop to help with this. Place them on the prepared sheet tray, not touching.
- Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- While the meatballs are baking, start on the soup. Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery.
- Stirring occasionally, cook the veggies until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, and cooked Italian meatballs to the pot. Stir everything together.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pasta and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. You will need to stir frequently, making sure to scrape the bottom, so the pasta doesn’t stick.
- Take off the heat, discard the bay leaves, and add the parmesan cheese and torn basil, stir to combine, and serve immediately.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Great for meal prepping.
- Use good quality ingredients. The better the quality of your ingredients, the better your soup will taste.
- Don’t overwork the meat mixture. Overworking the meat will make the meatballs tough.
- Browning the meatballs in the oven before adding them to the soup will give them a nice crust and flavor.
- Season the soup to taste. Add salt, pepper, and other seasonings to your liking.
- Serve the soup hot with bread or crackers.
- If you’re not going to eat the whole recipe in one sitting, cook the noodles separately and add them to the serving bowls before eating.
Nutrition
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