Italian Meatball Soup
User Reviews
4.7
Italian Meatball Soup
Description
This soup begins with mixing seasonings, onion, garlic, egg, and Parmesan into ground beef to form small meatballs that are chilled briefly to maintain shape during cooking. The base consists of olive oil sautéed onions, carrots, celery, and garlic for depth. Adding beef broth, water, canned diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, and Italian seasoning creates a rich broth without long simmering. Meatballs are added individually and cooked covered to ensure thorough cooking and tender texture.
The combination of vegetables, beans, and meatballs offers a filling bowl with balanced textures: the firm meatballs contrast with soft beans and softened vegetables in a savory broth with herbal notes. Parmesan cheese can be stirred in or sprinkled on top to add umami and richness.
Serve this soup warm as a complete meal; its mixture of protein and vegetables provides sustenance. It suits cold weather menus or when a substantial, comforting soup is wanted without extensive preparation.
The notes emphasize using extra lean beef to avoid greasiness, grating onions finely for moisture and tenderness, rinsing beans to reduce sodium, and storing the soup in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days. Parmesan cheese is best freshly grated to enhance melt and flavor.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef extra lean
- 1 small onion chopped or shredded
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
For Soup
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrot diced
- 3 talks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cup beef broth low sodium
- 2 cups water
- 29 ounce diced tomatoes (1 large can)
- 29 ounce cannellini beans drained and rinsed (1 large can or 2 small ones)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese for sprinkling over the top
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add together all of the meatball ingredients; mix well until well incorporated. Shape the meatballs so they are about 1 inch in diameter. This should produce about 25 - 30 meatballs - depending on how big you make them. Place the meatballs onto a plate and place them in the fridge until ready to use.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, and celery and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion and veggies are soft. Next, stir in the garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the broth and water to the dutch oven, followed by the tomatoes, cannellini beans, salt and pepper and Italian seasoning; bring everything to a boil.
- Remove meatballs from the fridge and add them to the soup 1 at a time. Once all the meatballs are in the dutch oven, reduce to medium heat, cover the pot, and let cook for about 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.
- When meatballs are fully cooked through, remove from heat and serve in individual bowls. Garnished with parmesan cheese and voila!
Notes
- Use extra lean ground beef for meatballs to keep soup light and non-greasy.
- Grating the onion into the meatball mix adds moisture and tenderness without large chunks.
- Drain and rinse canned beans to reduce excess sodium and improve texture.
- Combine beef broth, tomatoes, and seasoning to build a rich soup base without long cooking.
- Store soup in an airtight container; it keeps well for 3 to 4 days.
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese provides best flavor and melting quality when added to soup.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 236 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 236kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 21g | 7% |
| Protein | 20g | 40% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 53mg | 18% |
| Sodium | 985mg | 41% |
| Potassium | 622mg | 13% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 2286IU | 46% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 196mg | 20% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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