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!
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!
Italian Meatball Soup
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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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
- Finely chop carrots, celery and onion in food processor.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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!
This looks so good! I love pampered chef recipes. I can't wait to try this one!!
Ugh, I can't wait to start eating lighter meals again. This looks fantastic!
This soup looks delicious and so easy to prepare. I am boarding the soup (and salad) train too!
I think I'm trying this tonight! I was trying to figure out what to do for dinner and you saved me!
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!
Wow thats seems to be a great meal..
Thanks all! Yes, soup is even better when it involves meatballs. (That's probably true of most things!)
This recipe looks great, I can't wait to try 'er out!
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!
Now this is my kinda soup!
Looks great. I’m starting to prepare some freezable meals to prepare for the baby’s arrival. Will this soup freeze well?
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!
This soup looks delicious wow