This Meatball Soup recipe has a savory tomato broth with Italian seasonings, pasta noodles, spinach, and bell peppers. Top each serving bowl with a dollop of ricotta cheese and some Parmesan and you have a restaurant quality meal that your family will love!
Be sure to serve this with a side of No Knead Bread, and try my Chicken Taco Soup recipe next!
Meatball Soup
I know that the ingredient list is a little bit long here, but this recipe has the best combination of flavors. My family (picky 5-year old included), loves this recipe. Adding a dollop of Ricotta cheese prior to serving really takes it to the next level.
PRO TIP: If you have the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese, add it to the soup while it simmers for next level flavor!
What Makes It Different
The meatballs start out with a panade, which is a starch (breadcrumbs) and a liquid (heavy cream) combined together to form a paste which is gently worked into the meat to keep it extra juicy and flavorful during the cooking process.
The broth is a combination of chicken broth, beef broth, and blended tomatoes with a perfect seasoning blend. Onions are caramelized slightly in the beginning so that their natural sugars can offset the acidity from the tomatoes.
Diced peppers and spinach add some veggies to the mix and the pasta is can be cooked right in the soup or on the side.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Combine meatball ingredients and roll into 1-inch meatballs. Sauté in olive oil in batches for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Melt butter in the same pot and add onions. Let them cook slowly over medium-low heat for 10 minutes to caramelize them slightly. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4 minutes.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken/beef broth and blended tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or longer to further concentrate the flavor and thicken the soup. Stir occasionally.
Add the meatballs and pasta and bring to a gentle boil. Cook pasta to al dente. Stir in the heavy cream and add the spinach. Add to serving bowls and serve with Ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Pro Tips
- Frozen Meatballs can be used instead of making your own.
- Add the rind of a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese for added flavor while the soup simmers.
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes can be used instead of diced.
- If you plan on having leftovers, you may want to boil the noodles separately and add them directly to serving bowls as the noodles will continue to absorb broth during storage.
- The hot sauce doesn’t make the soup hot and you can’t taste the mustard powder or Worcestershire sauce. These are all flavor enhancers in this soup. I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
- All chicken broth can be used instead of a combination of chicken and beef if needed or preferred.
- Milk can be used instead of heavy cream for the meatballs if preferred.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- If freezing: I recommend that you boil the pasta separately and add it directly to serving bowls. Freeze the soup without the pasta so that it doesn’t absorb all of the broth and/or get mushy. Boil fresh pasta prior to serving.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4.5 quart Dutch oven– A great size for this (and most) soup recipes.
- Box Cheese Grater– Shredding from a block tastes and melts much better than packaged cheese.
- 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 out seasonings ahead of time.
- 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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Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Meatballs
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup heavy cream, can sub milk
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated into a powder
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ lb. ground beef, 80% lean
- ½ lb. ground pork
Soup
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup bell peppers, 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 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup dry pasta, I used cavatappi
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon EACH: dried oregano, basil, parsley, mustard powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt/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
- Since the onions take a little while to caramelize, that’s a good time to measure out the seasonings and additional ingredients for the soup.
- Frozen Meatballs can be used instead of making your own.
- Add the rind of a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese for added flavor while the soup simmers.
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes can be used instead of diced.
- If you plan on having leftovers: Consider boiling the noodles separately and adding them directly to serving bowls as the noodles will continue to absorb broth during storage.
- This makes approximately 45 1-inch meatballs
- The hot sauce doesn’t make the soup hot and you can’t taste the mustard powder or Worcestershire sauce. These are all flavor enhancers in this soup. I use Frank's Hot Sauce.
Nutritional Info is an estimate and is per cup. There are approximately 13 cups in this recipe. It doesn't include the Ricotta/Parmesan for serving
This soup is on the repeat rotation for sure. Such a perfect blend of “heat” and creamy deliciousness. Flavor explosions. Topped with shredded parm and a dollop of ricotta. Perfection. Used frozen meatballs.
One of my favorite soups for sure, I’m so happy you liked it Mary! I agree, it really does have a nice blend of heat and creamy deliciousness. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
This recipe is amazing. It’s the perfect soup. I absolutely love every recipe from Cozy Cook. I’ve been a die hard pioneer woman fan for 18 years but I am finding myself searching this site for all my cooking needs! P.s. the cheeseburger soup is also amazing!
Hey Chelsea!! I am so flattered that you’re loving the recipes, I am a big fan of The Pioneer Woman myself so your compliment is surely appreciated, thank you so much for your support!! 🙂 I love that cheeseburger soup so much too! ❤️
I will say it again, the soup nazi has nothing on you! A few years ago when I first tried The Sausage Tortilini soup, I made that comment. This recipe just cemented it! SOO GOOD!! I’ve served it twice, both times to rave reviews! Thank you for this recipe!!
Hey Jodie!!! This kind of comment will never get old! You are the best, I am such a soup lover so I’m thrilled that you are loving my soup recipes. Thank you so much for your kind words, I appreciate it so much! 🙂
Could I add carrots and celery?
Sure! You can sauté them with the onions! 🙂
Made this tonight. I am making a double batch tomorrow so I can give some to my parents. It is delicious, absolutely delicious!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I only used ground turkey and chicken broth in place of the other meat and broths and it was sooo yummy. This will be a new family favorite!
I’m so happy you’ve got a new family favorite Diane! I actually love turkey meatballs, yummm! Thanks so much for the great comments!🩷
This soup is PERFECT for a cold drizzly night! Rich in flavor and perfect thick consistency. I did use spinach but could’ve used cut green beans as an alternative. Adding this recipe to ‘faves’! Thanks for sharing.
It’s my pleasure Mary, happy to hear this made its way to your ‘Faves’!🩷 Thanks so much for the review!
Planning to make this tonight, but wondering what kind of hot sauce you recommend. There are so many different kinds and I’m not a big fan of it, but my family is. My husband likes Tabasco with certain dishes, but Cholula or Siracha with others. What do you recommend with this recipe?
Hi Robin! I use Frank’s Hot Sauce!! It’s perfect! : ) I hope you love the soup, it’s a great Sunday for soup making!
Thank you for such a fast response! I didn’t have that one, but I used Cholula and that worked just fine. It was delicious and you’re right, the hot sauce didn’t make the dish spicy, it just enhanced the flavors. My family loved it and ate it up! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Robin! I’m so happy it was such a success with your family. Thanks so much for the review!🩷
This was delicious!! Thanks so much for sharing this! I’m a newly wed and trying to up my kitchen skills.. my husband said it was amazing and would definitely have it again!! Blessings!
Nice work Simona! When I was a newly wed I didn’t know much about cooking at all but had so much fun learning! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️
Delicious! I made exactly as directed. This recipe took about 2 hours to prepare. I served with garlic bread sticks and cucumbers with ranch.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Amy! Thanks so much for the review!🩷
I have already commented, but I forgot to add that I thought the spice level was perfect just as written, and for reference I used Underwood Ranches Sriracha as my hot sauce. If however you have a family member or guest who really does not like spicy at all, I would simply cut down the hot sauce from 1 tsp to maybe ½ – ¾ and omit the red pepper flakes. I wouldn’t omit all of the hot sauce however because it really does add to the flavor. Yum 😋
Thanks for adding that Missy! I agree, the hot sauce adds some nice flavor💖