Meatball Soup
User Reviews
5
Meatball Soup
Description
Meatball Soup starts with meatballs made by blending ground beef and pork with an egg and heavy cream panade that incorporates breadcrumbs and Parmesan. This panade keeps the meatballs tender and flavorful. The meatballs are browned lightly before finishing cooking in the soup.
The soup base features caramelized onions, bell peppers, garlic, and tomato paste combined with chicken and beef broth and canned diced tomatoes blended to a desired texture. Seasonings like oregano, basil, parsley, mustard powder, and red pepper flakes add depth. After meatballs are browned, they cook gently in the broth. Heavy cream and fresh spinach are added near the end, along with pasta to complete the dish.
This hearty soup serves well with ricotta and Parmesan cheese for garnish and additional flavor. It yields about 13 cups and approximately 45 meatballs. The layers of herbs and tomato blend create a mildly spiced, creamy base complementing tender meatballs and tender pasta.
For leftovers, cooking pasta separately and adding it to individual servings can prevent over-softening during storage. Consider adding a rind of Parmesan cheese during simmering for additional depth. Frozen meatballs can substitute freshly made ones on busy days.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Meatballs
- 1 egg beaten
- ½ cup heavy cream can sub milk
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs Italian style
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese finely grated into a powder
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ lb. ground beef 80% lean
- ½ lb. ground pork
Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- ½ cup bell pepper diced. (Red, green, or both
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups beef broth can sub chicken broth
- 2 diced tomatoes undrained, 14.5 oz. cans
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup pasta I used cavatappi, dry
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
For Serving
- 8 oz. ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Combine the whisked egg and heavy cream in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and stir for 1-2 minutes to form a paste. This is called a “panade” and will make the meatballs super flavorful and tender. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the ground beef and ground pork and gently combine, don’t overwork the meat, we want tender meatballs.
- Roll the meat into 1-inch balls.
- Heat the olive oil in a 4 ½ quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes, add a splash of olive oil throughout cooking and decrease heat slightly as needed. The inside of the meatballs will finish cooking in the soup.
- Remove the meatballs and set aside.
For the Soup
- Place the diced tomatoes in a large bowl and use an immersion blender to blend it to your desired texture, chunks of tomato can be left if preferred. (Alternatively, you can also use a blender.) Set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes, a little longer than normal as this will release some of their sugar which counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes. Stir every few minutes.
- Add the peppers and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add in the chicken broth, beef broth, and tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. You can also simmer it longer to contrate the flavor and thicken it more.
- Stir the soup and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Add the meatballs and the pasta and return it to a gentle boil. Cook until pasta is cooked through, refer to package for cooking time. It may take a little longer since we’re boiling gently. Test-taste a noodle before serving.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to serving bowls and top with ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. (You can warm the ricotta in the microwave first if preferred.)
Notes
- The nutritional information is an estimate per cup and does not include cheese toppings.
- Caramelize onions while measuring out seasonings and broth for efficient prep.
- Frozen meatballs can be used instead of fresh for convenience.
- Adding a Parmesan or Romano rind while simmering adds extra flavor to the broth.
- Use 28 oz. crushed tomatoes if preferred instead of diced tomatoes.
- For leftovers, cook pasta separately and add to bowls to avoid sogginess during storage.
- This recipe makes approximately 45 one-inch meatballs.
- Hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce are subtle flavor enhancers that do not make the soup spicy.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 13cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 222kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 11g | 22% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 65mg | 22% |
| Sodium | 741mg | 31% |
| Potassium | 414mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 1071IU | 21% |
| Vitamin C | 21mg | 23% |
| Calcium | 90mg | 9% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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