Spaghetti and Meatball Soup
Everyone’s favorite dish is turned into the creamiest, coziest soup ever! Made in just 20 min. Kid and adult-friendly!
Spaghetti and meatballs. In soup form.
Does it get any better?
I mean, seriously.
Imagine having a hot bowl of creamy tomato soup.
With meatballs.
And spaghetti noodles.
Topped with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.
No wait. Extra Parmesan cheese.
Yeah. That’s a handful of major goodness.
Best of all, you can use store-bought, frozen or homemade meatballs. From there, this soup can be whipped up in a flash!
After this, you’ll never look at spaghetti and meatballs the same way. Although this soup does come neck in neck with these baked spaghetti and meatballs…
Spaghetti and Meatball Soup
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare meatballs according to package instructions; set aside.
- Whisk in chicken broth, marinara sauce, bay leaf and 3 cups water in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat; bring to a boil.
- Stir in spaghetti and meatballs; reduce heat and simmer until spaghetti is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with basil and Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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style=”text-align: center;”>Why It’s A Smart Choice
Spaghetti and meatballs can end up being quite a heavy meal. But by making it into a soup, you retain all the flavor but in a lightened-up version! To reduce the sodium, look for a low sodium broth and marinara sauce.
Nutritional information provided by Jessica Penner, RD at Smart Nutrition.
Could you remove the 3 cups of water from the recipe instructions. Of course me the dummy followed the instructions and didn’t read the comments. I did rescue this since it was really watery and bland. Next time I’ll remember – do NOT add the water. My hubby loved it, so that’s all that matters. And since I added more pasta, I have plenty of leftovers. I look forward to making it again one day .. without the water 🙂
Simple, quick and delicious.
I forgot to pull meat out for dinner. So I went to my trusty frozen meatballs only to discover I only had 1 large can of crushed tomatoes. So I went searching and found this recipe. I was unsure about it but went for it. I sautéed an onion and garlic then defrosted/cooked the meatballs. Followed the recipe exactly (other than adding my own spices to the crushed tomatoes because it wasn’t marinara which was salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and oregano). My son said “This confuses me so much but it’s delicious!”
I made this today, and it is delicious! I used Trader Joe’s mini meat balls and their traditional marinara sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Can this be made in crockpot for how many hoursÂ
Can you make this in crockpot for how many hoursÂ
  ThanksÂ
This was DELICIOUS!! My son loved it and wants me to make it again, he was disappointed that there were no leftovers.
Have you thought to make it in the instant pot?
I made this with Gardein meatballs and vegetable broth instead and it was delicious! Â I too was confused with adding the water and only added one cup, but now I see your explanation in a previous post explaining it.
Thanks for a quick, easy, and delicious recipe!
Such a great recipe! I used leftover meatballs and marinara I had from the night before and added chicken stock, a parmesan rind, and basil. Easy and delicious way to use up leftovers.
What can I use in place of chicken broth I only have beef stock
You can use beef stock but it may change the taste and color slightly.
I noticed that you have the broth and marinara sauce mentioned in the ingredients, but in the directions you have the broth, marinara sauce and 3 cups of water…was the water a typo or did you forget to add it in the ingredient list? Thank you for the recipe, and could you please clarify this for me? Thank you once again
Bridget, the water is correct. Water is typically not listed in the ingredient list.
I’m obviously a little late to the party, but every recipe of yours that I have tried I have thoroughly enjoyed. THANK YOU; because of you I actually have some diversity in the meals I make.
Thank you so much, Jill!
This got me to think as to how I could adapt this recipe to my needs. If your the kind of cook who needs exact measurements, you will just have to wing it as I almost never measure. I could not convince myself that spaghetti would make good soup. Since macaroni and spaghetti are the same thing, only a different shape; I opted to use macaroni instead of spaghetti. Also, I had no marinara sauce, I used a substitute of Progresso Hearty Tomato soup.
Cook about 1 cup of Barilla brand medium shells for 9 minutes ONLY, usinging only enough water to cover. Drain (saving water) and set aside.There will be about 1 cup of water left over. Mix in 1 teaspoon of Better Then Bullion roasted chicken bullion. Stir to mix. Dump in 1 can of Progresso Hearty Tomato soup. I then dumped in some frozen Italian style meatballs. Heat slowly until hot. Return cooked macaroni to soup, and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes only just to warm up the macaroni. Do not over cook! Serve and top with some Kraft shredded Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago cheeses. This made a quick and hearty soup that turned out delicious. Try it, you’ll like it. The only thing missing was the Italian bread.
Could you tell me how the serving size this recipe uses to make 6 servings. I work for a school district and have a kitchen manager interested in making this soup for her students, but I can’t expand the recipe without knowing the serving size you used approximately.Â
Thank you
Serving size is roughly 1 cup per serving. Hope that helps!
Thank you that is very helpful!
I love this soup! We have it about once a month now. Thank you for the great recipe!
P.S. I did not use any noodles, potatoes or rice.
I made a similar meatball soup only I used low sodium V8. I added chicken broth and cut up fresh veggies like onion, collard greens, cabbage, carrots and celery. I also use dried veggies a lot. I browned the meatballs and drained them . I used about a tablespoon of chile powder, and a teaspoon of oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I tossed everything in a pressure cooker and cooked it for only a couple of minutes. You can do this in a large pot but it will take much longer.
Hubby was skeptical but loved it. : )
Would love to make this with a gluten free pasta-which I usually cook and rinse before adding to any recipe( it’s usually really starchy). Could you offer a suggestion on how to modify the liquid content if I’m adding cooked pasta? Thanks so much! Looking forward to making this recipe.
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I found that if you boil the spaghetti separately you can then add as much as you would like to the soup once done. Not too starchy and noodles did’t take over the soup.
Made it ! Â excellent
Add lemon grass to the recepe
I made this for dinner last night and my husband and I loved it! However, I did sauté onion and mushrooms with a little olive oil in the pot before adding any ingredients. I also added carrots. These made it more hearty. I will be making this again.
Does this freeze well?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I was wondering if it is necessary to use mini meatballs? will it affect the flavor or consistency? I only have normal size meatballs on hand.Â
Nope – not necessary at all!
Oh boy! I would have never thought that spaghetti and meatballs in a soup was even a possibility. Was I ever wrong!!! I love pasta and I love soup so together this is actually really good. Thanks for sharing!Â
So easy and sooooo good! I made my own Italian sausage meatballs. and added a pinch of red pepper flakes. I also used Roasted Red Pepper pasta sauce. YUMMY YUMMY! Thanks again, Chungah, for knocking it out of the park!
This was super delicious and easy! Â All the kids loved it. Â Thanks!
Made this tonight exactly as you instructed, except used the whole 20oz bag of Trader Joe’s meatballs. Â It was easy, delicious and perfect! We loved it, and we love every one of your recipes we have tried. Â Thank you for making my dinner preparation so easy and delicious.
Love them so much. The colors are soft.
http://montblanclocations.feminastudios.com
I just  made this, and I love it! I did find that I had to keep adding more water/broth to the recipe as the broth was being absorbed into the pasta, every time  I went to get some, LOL! Where is it going? LOL!
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m making this right now. Hopefully the sauce and broth isn’t all absorbed into the pasta for when my fiancé gets home later. We always love any recipe of yours I try, I’m on your mailing list.
Just made this using turkey meatballs also used dried basil coz these are the ones i have on hand.. Yummy
I made meatballs this weekend and realized how much I enjoy them. I look forward to continuing my love for them with this dish!
Better half saw this, so I’m making it for dinner tonight. I make your ‘Swedish Meatballs’ in quantity and freeze them 12 to a package (without the sauce), so I’ll use a package of those (because  we love them!)in this dish. A loaf of homemade Italian bread…=yum!!!
Is it possible you could let us know the calories, cholesterol, fat content etc. for all your recipes in the future???
I am a border diabetic and my cholesterol is 311 which is rather high.
I would love to try all your recipes, but I am reluctant.
Thank you
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information.
Thank you for your input!
Seriously looks delicioso !!!!!!
I prefer chicken broth to beef broth in my soups, too. Â I like the smplicity of this soup, too, Â great idea.
Super easy – super good. Â I had Trader Joe’s meatballs and marinara sauce on hand. Â The only thing I was missing was fresh basil. Â Came together very easy and was delicious. Â I would definitely make it again.
If making homemade meatballs ,do i brown them,or cook them before adding them in with the spaghetti. This recipe looks delicious,can’t wait to try it.please reply soon.Thank U for such a great recipe.
Yes, they should be cooked first.
I am so excited to try this recipe.. I recently found your website through Pinterest and I have to say YUMMY. I have tried many of your recipes so thank you my family has enjoyed each and every recipe I have tried. LOVE your blog..
Hi:
Do you put the meatballs in frozen or thawed?
It is best to prepare the meatballs according to package instructions.
I often use leftover meatballs and spaghetti and reprise the dish into soup! From scratch, even better!
I notice you said beef broth can be substituted. I’m curious why the original recipe shows chicken broth, since I would definitely use beef broth. This sounds like a fabulous recipe, but please explain your choice of using chicken broth.
Chicken broth is a personal preference for me, but as stated in the recipe, beef or vegetable broth can be substituted.
I would use vegetable broth and supplement the recipe with veggies, eg. carrots, and green beans.
Chungah: True to your web site address, this recipe was Damnnnnn Delish!!!!!!! It just tasted rich, satisfying, & nourishing…. Definitely a keeper. I doubled the amount of meatballs, added a tray of sliced cremini mushrooms (250 g) & 2 diced green bell peppers & it worked out amazing. I just sautéed the veg with the meatballs….
I have a hard time feeding my husband whom eats like a naughty kid – chocolate bars, grilled cheese, pop, chips, hot dogs…. You get the picture. And he absolutely loved it! We both did!
this sounds amazing,will definitely be trying this