This Chicken Meatball Soup is easy to make with juicy baked chicken meatballs, spinach, and pasta in a flavorful broth with carrots, onions, and celery. Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice adds the perfect finishing touch!

Bonus: It’s stove top and crock pot friendly!

Chicken Meatball Soup in a pot with a ladle on the side.

Chicken Meatball Soup

You just can’t beat the amazing flavors in this Chicken Meatball Soup! These juicy meatballs bake in the oven while a mirepoix (onions, carrots, & celery) is prepared along with garlic, flavor enhancers, seasonings, and a savory broth. Spinach packs in the nutrition and pasta makes this dish complete! 

This is similar to my Italian Wedding Soup, except this broth is accompanied by Parmesan cheese and fresh lemon juice which really makes the flavors pop! 

The best part? It’s stove top and Crock Pot friendly! Don’t miss my pro tips below!

How to Make It

Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Combine the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on a light colored baking sheet at 400° F for 11 minutes.

Chicken meatballs on a plate before and after being oven baked.

Meanwhile, soften onions, carrots, and celery in butter. Add garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, and seasonings. Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the meatballs. Boil the pasta separately until al dente and drain.

Adding broth and meatballs to a pot of soup to make chicken meatball soup.

Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Add the pasta to the soup pot if leftovers are not anticipated. Otherwise, add the pasta to serving bowls and ladle the soup on top. Store leftover pasta and soup in separate containers. Serve!

Adding spinach to a pot of Chicken Meatball Soup.

Pro Tips

  • Pasta: Cook the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. Otherwise, the pasta becomes mushy and continues to absorb the broth upon standing. Other great pasta options include small shells, orecchiette, acini de pepe, pastina, and orzo. Leftover rice may also be used! 
  • Flavor Enhancers: The soy sauce, hot sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers that can’t be tasted outright. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
  • Parmesan: I serve this soup with freshly grated Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. If possible, add the rind from the cheese to the soup while it simmers for even more flavor! 
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed has much more flavor than bottled. It adds a subtle pop of flavor and brightens up the soup without being too overpowering.
  • Kale can be used instead of spinach, it’ll need a few extra minutes of simmering time.
  • You can make your own ground chicken by placing cubes of chicken breasts in a food processor and pulsing to the right consistency. (You’ll need about 2 small chicken breasts for a pound.)

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • This soup freezes very well, be sure to store the soup without pasta and boil fresh pasta for serving.

Chicken Meatball Soup in a white serving bowl with lemon wedges and a spoon on the side.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

  • 4.5 Quart Dutch Oven– The perfect size for almost any soup recipe.
  • Spice Rack–This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
  • Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
  • Pinch Bowls– For measuring seasonings, etc. ahead of time.
  • Better Than Bouillon– This is what I always use for broth/bouillon in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts of broth.
  • Soup Ladle
  • 16 oz. storage containers. I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.

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Chicken Meatball Soup with spinach, chicken meatballs, and pasta with a ladle on the side.

Chicken Meatball Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
5 from 5 ratings
Servings: 6 people
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This Chicken Meatball Soup is easy to make with juicy baked chicken meatballs, spinach, and pasta in a flavorful broth with carrots, onions, and celery.

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Meatballs

  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons half and half, can sub milk
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, salt, onion powder

Soup

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • ¾ cup carrots, sliced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ¾ teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, ground sage, pepper
  • 7 cups chicken broth
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 3/4 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked. See notes
  • 4 cups baby spinach
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • Juice from 1 lemon, about 2 tbsp.

Instructions

  • Add the meatball ingredients to a large bowl and mix gently until just combined, don’t overwork the meat or the meatballs will be tough. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
  • Preheat oven to 400° F.
  • Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch meatballs (no larger), and transfer to a light-colored, lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes. Broil at 475° F for up to 1 minute to add a little more color. Remove and use a spatula to transfer to a plate.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth and chicken bouillon cube. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Add the meatballs and simmer gently while you boil the pasta separately until al dente. Drain and add the pasta to serving bowls. (Otherwise, the pasta tends to absorb the broth during storage and can become mushy.)
  • Add the spinach to the soup and let it wilt, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Ladle into serving bowls and serve.

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • Pasta: Cook the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. Otherwise, the pasta becomes mushy and continues to absorb the broth upon standing. Other great pasta options include small shells, orecchiette, acini de pepe, pastina, and orzo. Leftover rice may also be used! 
  • Flavor Enhancers: The soy sauce, hot sauce, and mustard powder are flavor enhancers that can't be tasted outright. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
  • Parmesan: I serve this soup with freshly grated Belgioioso Parmesan cheese. If possible, add the rind from the cheese to the soup while it simmers for even more flavor! 
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed has much more flavor than bottled. It adds a subtle pop of flavor and brightens up the soup without being too overpowering.
  • Kale can be used instead of spinach, it'll need a few extra minutes of simmering time.
  • You can make your own ground chicken by placing cubes of chicken breasts in a food processor and pulsing to the right consistency. (You’ll need about 2 small chicken breasts for a pound.)
Crock Pot Method:
  • Assemble and bake the meatballs as outlined in recipe card above.
  • Transfer to the Crock Pot along with the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, seasonings, broth, and bouillon cube.
  • Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
  • If possible, boil the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. This ensures it doesn't absorb all of the broth if you have leftovers. If needed, add the uncooked pasta to the crock pot and cook on low for 30 minutes. 
  • Stir in the Spinach and heat through until wilted.
  • Stir in the Parmesan cheese and lemon juice and serve!
Storage
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • This soup freezes very well, be sure to store the soup without pasta and boil fresh pasta for serving.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 116mg, Sodium: 1621mg, Potassium: 766mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 4823IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 150mg, Iron: 3mg
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Course: Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
Author: Stephanie