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5.0 from 9 votes

Meatball Soup

A hearty soup made with lean ground beef, a healthy dose of vegetables and herbs, a savory tomatoey broth, and lovely little ditalini pasta. A cozy soup that's sure to satisfy!Recipe makes about 13 cups.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian , American

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 90 to 93% lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup (1.2 oz) Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup (1 oz) finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 6 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper, plus more for soup
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots (2 medium)`
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery (2 medium ribs)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (5 1/4 cups), plus more to thin if desired
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup (4.5 oz) dry ditalini pasta
  • 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. For the meatballs: In a mixing bowl toss together, beef, panko, parmesan, egg, 2 Tbsp parsley, the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Break up the beef as you toss to evenly combine ingredients, just don't over-work the mixture so meatballs stay tender.
  2. Scoop mixture out just over 1 Tbsp at a time (I use a #60 cookie scoop, lightly heaped), and shape into rounds. Set them on a baking tray or cutting board as you work.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute 8 to 9 minutes until almost tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
  4. Meanwhile drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add meatballs once heated and cook until golden brown on top and bottom, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate (if you have some browned bits in the pan deglaze it with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and add it to the soup mixture once veggies are sauteed with remaining chicken broth for added flavor).
  5. To the sauteed vegetable mixture add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, remaining 1 tsp Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
  6. Add meatballs and pasta, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, about 13 to 15 minutes.
  7. Off heat stir in remaining 4 Tbsp parsley and the basil. Thin soup with more broth as needed (it will thicken as it rests). Top individual servings with shredded parmesan cheese to taste.