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Recipes » dinner » beef » Italian Meatball Soup

Italian Meatball Soup

By Kate Morgan Jackson

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This easy recipe for Italian meatball soup features a flavor-packed tomato soup brimming with meatballs and garnished with crispy chunks of toasted bread. Hearty comfort food to the max!

how to make italian meatball soup
Happy New Year, everyone!  The holidays are at an end, the new year is upon us, and in my house that means one thing, food-wise.  

We have been feasting on chocolate and cheese and bacon and roast beast and peppermint bark and our jeans are screaming for mercy.  And so for the first couple weeks of the new year the Southern husband and I get one thing and one thing only for dinner, and that is soup.

No cream soups either.  The goal is to be able to sit down without popping any buttons off of anyone’s pants, especially mine.  And if we have to do it, YOU have to live through it with us, so prepare yourself for a parade of soup recipes this week.  

I’ll ease you into it with this scrumptious Italian meatball number.  Yes, there are meatballs.  Yes, there are croutons.  But it’s all about moderation, and if you can manage to ladle yourself out a modest amount of meatballs and croutons and go heavier on the delicious tomato broth and veggies, you are well on your way to fitting back into your Levis.


I don’t know about you, but I’m cranky when my comfy Levis are no longer comfy.

Anyway, just a quick word about the meatball part.  Frozen store-bought meatballs will work perfectly fine in this soup…they’re going to simmer away enough in all the tomatoey goodness that they won’t taste  that, well, supermarket-ish.  But if you want to go all out and make meatballs from scratch, here is a great dependable homemade meatball recipe.

I’ll be back next time with, yes, more soup.  Hang in there with me!

 

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how to make italian meatball soup

Italian Meatball Soup


  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

This easy recipe for Italian meatball soup features a flavor-packed tomato soup brimming with meatballs and garnished with crispy chunks of toasted bread. Hearty comfort food to the max!


Ingredients

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 1 small onion, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 16 fully cooked meatballs (you can buy the frozen kind or make them yourself – see note!)
  • Pinch each of salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 6 ounces Italian bread, cut into in 1 inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Finely chop carrots, celery and onion in food processor.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat and add vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add tomato paste, garlic and oregano and stir well.
  3. Add tomatoes, broth and water and bring to a simmer. Cut meatballs in half and add to soup. Simmer for ten minutes more and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425. Toss bread cubes with olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.
  5. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with toasted bread cubes and chopped parsley.

Notes

If you want to make your own meatballs for this soup, this recipe for roasted meatballs from The Kitchn is exactly what you need!

2245.6 g584.9 mg12.3 g3.4 g0.2 g20.9 g4.7 g9.1 g24.6 mg

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Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!

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Originally Published January 1, 2012 and Updated
to this Even More Delicious Version on August 22, 2019

Good for: Comfort Foods

Last Post:
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Next Post:
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  1. [email protected] says

    January 2, 2012 at 12:37 am

    This looks so good! I love pampered chef recipes. I can't wait to try this one!!

    Reply
  2. Rachel says

    January 2, 2012 at 3:27 am

    Ugh, I can't wait to start eating lighter meals again. This looks fantastic!

    Reply
  3. onceuponarecipe says

    January 2, 2012 at 8:19 am

    This soup looks delicious and so easy to prepare. I am boarding the soup (and salad) train too!

    Reply
  4. Emmelyn's Mommy says

    January 2, 2012 at 1:55 pm

    I think I'm trying this tonight! I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner and you saved me!

    Reply
  5. Kathy Martin says

    January 2, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    I'm with you, girl! I'm feeling quite cranky with too tight jeans! I'm all over getting back into my normal healthy eating patterns! Thanks for the recipe! Happy New Year!

    Reply
  6. Harlemexpressinc says

    January 2, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    Wow thats seems to be a great meal..

    Reply
  7. FramedCooks says

    January 2, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    Thanks all! Yes, soup is even better when it involves meatballs. (That's probably true of most things!)

    Reply
  8. Miss McBooty says

    January 2, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    This recipe looks great, I can't wait to try 'er out!

    Reply
  9. Joanne says

    January 2, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    I'm totally on a soup diet (not really, but at least once a day!) because it's super tasty, super filling, and can be super healthy! I love the idea of meatball soup…you get to satisfy your Italian food craving but without all the carbs and cheese!

    Reply
  10. Curt says

    January 3, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    Now this is my kinda soup!

    Reply
  11. Rachel says

    April 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    Looks great. I’m starting to prepare some freezable meals to prepare for the baby’s arrival. Will this soup freeze well?

    Reply
    • Kate says

      April 11, 2012 at 3:33 pm

      A baby, congrats!! Yes, this should freeze just fine up until the bread cubes – that’s the only part I would make the day you eat it. And my beef barley soup recipe on this site freezes wonderfully, as does the slow cooker bolognese sauce!

      Reply
  12. Greg says

    March 1, 2016 at 2:48 pm

    This soup looks delicious wow

    Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

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