Get the Recipe: Easy Italian Meatball Soup
Easy, delicious, hearty and vegetable rich, this Italian meatball soup is made easy with store-bought Italian meatballs. Start with frozen, fully-cooked meatballs or pre-cook fresh meatballs before adding to soup.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 cup carrots, finely diced 1/4-inch
- 1/2 cup celery, diced 1/4-inch
- 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste, optional
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained,preferably fire-roasted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or 1 tsp basil and 1/4 tsp of thyme and oregano leaves
- Parmesan rind, or 3/4-inch cube of Parmesan
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 20 frozen, fully cooked Italian meatballs, about 1 inch *see notes
- 3/4 cup ditalini pasta, or other small pasta
- 4 cups baby spinach
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, if using and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender (taste to be sure). Discard bay leaf.
- Pour in can of tomatoes. Add Italian seasoning, Parmesan rind, if using, and a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to combine. Add meatballs. Continue simmering soup another 15 minutes, to allow the flavours to come together.
- Add pasta and simmer a further 15 minutes, or until pasta is cooked. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt, pepper and/or Italian seasoning, as needed. Remove from heat and stir in baby spinach until wilted.
- Serve garnished with freshly grated Parmesan.
Notes
Leftovers will thicken in the fridge. When reheating, add a bit more broth of water to thin.
If you can't find fully cooked frozen Italian meatballs, you can use fresh and pre-cook them before adding them to the soup.
Crockpot option! Add all ingredients except pasta and spinach to your slow cooker. Cook covered on low for 5-6 hours. Add pasta and cook, covered an additional 15-20 minutes. Stir in baby spinach until wilted, then serve with freshly grated Parmesan on top.
Tips and variations!
Carrots. It is always really disappointing when you make a dish like this and, upon the first spoonful, discover that the carrots aren't cooked through. You can avoid that by cutting your carrots into small pieces and taste testing your carrots for doneness before adding the pasta to this soup. Keep simmering until they are tender, then add the pasta to finish.
If you want to up the fibre quotient, some white or red kidney beans would not be out of place in this soup.
Like some heat with your warm soup? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes when you are sautéing the vegetables.
Be sure to season well with salt and pepper, as needed, to really bring the flavours together.
Be sure to read the note above this Recipe Card for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 282kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 848mg, Potassium: 793mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 5675IU, Vitamin C: 31.8mg, Calcium: 99mg, Iron: 3.1mg
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