The Best Italian Meatball Soup
With this hearty Italian Meatballs soup, I combined two of my favorites: beef vegetable soup and meatballs. It’s such a comforting and filling soup that’s perfect for this time of year. Best of all everything is made in one pot, which means fewer dishes to do later. As a busy family, that is everything on busy weeknights! As for the homemade Italian meatballs, they are super cheesy and tender. I sauté them in a hot pan for only a couple of minutes on each side to get a nice crust and tons of flavor. Sautéing them helps them keep their shape better so they don’t fall apart when I finish cooking them in the soup. When you cook meatballs in a soup broth it makes them super tender and also flavors the broth.
Italian Meatball Soup Ingredients
Meatballs
Beef: The meat I used in this Italian Meatball Soup recipe was lean ground beef. Feel free to substitute beef for ground chicken or turkey. Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are an excellent binding ingredient for meatballs, keeping the perfect shape and texture. Cheese: Parmesan cheese adds saltiness and a slight cheesy sharpness to the meatballs. Egg: Eggs are another fantastic binding ingredient for meatball recipes, as well as other recipes like cakes and muffins.
Soup
Seasoning: Italian seasoning is added to both the soup and the meatballs, giving them that effortless Italian flavor that we love! I also seasoned the soup with salt and pepper to balance the flavors and added a couple of may leaves. Vegetables: Classic soup vegetables: onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and potatoes. The veggies bulk the soup recipe up in quantity and also add extra nutrition to this healthy Italian Meatball Soup recipe. Tomatoes: This time I added canned fire-roasted tomatoes to give a hint of smokiness to the soup broth. Broth: I wanted an extra beefy flavor, so I went with beef broth, but feel free to use chicken or vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand. Worcestershire Sauce: Just a teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce amplifies the flavor 100%. It gives a hint of tanginess and tastes amazing!
How to make Italian Meatball Soup
Storage and freezing
Leftovers: This soup makes wonderful leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The more the soup sits the more the flavors develop. Reheat soup gently in a saucepan until warm. You may have to add more broth as needed. Freeze: This soup also freezes really well because there aren’t noodles in this Italian Meatball Soup! Store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 months!
Here are more soup recipes to enjoy!
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Use binding ingredients: In this Italian Meatball Soup recipe, I added breadcrumbs, parmesan, and an egg. These 3 important ingredients work together to keep the meatballs intact while they’re cooking. Brown the meatballs: Before adding the meatballs into the soup, brown them in a medium-hot pan with a little oil. This creates a sear on the meatballs, keeping the outside bound together. Simmer, don’t boil: A simmer is all we need to cook these Italian meatballs in. A rolling boil may be too rapid and break the meatballs up into pieces.
