Italian Meatball Soup

Italian Meatball Soup is a cozy one pot dinner with tender baked meatballs and ditalini pasta in a rich, vegetable packed tomato broth.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword meatball soup

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 451kcal

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.

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.