Italian Meatball Soup

The COZIEST soup with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs, little pasta noodles (ditalini pasta) and sneaked in greens!

It’s freezing cold outside but I have everything I need right here with the coziest Italian meatball soup. It is basically a giant cozy hug in a bowl that just makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

Made with completely homemade little meatballs (store-bought is completely fine if you’re in a pinch), ditalini pasta (my favorite little tube-like pasta), and sneaked-in greens (totally fine to swap out spinach for the kale or your favorite greens).

It’s an incredibly versatile recipe, and I sometimes make it ahead of time, stirring in the kale right before serving. I also always have a fresh baguette on standby for dipping purposes.

tips and tricks for success

• Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
• Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Get more out of those expensive Parmesan cheeses by using up the leftover rinds! Adding a Parmesan rind slightly thickens the broth and adds a level of nutty richness to the soup.
• Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
• Use short cut pasta. Ditalini, macaroni or a small shape pasta is ideal.
• Store pasta separately for leftovers. When planning for leftovers, store the cooked ditalini pasta separately from the soup to prevent it from soaking up all the broth.
• Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!

Italian Meatball Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 45 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

The COZIEST soup with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs, little pasta noodles (ditalini pasta) and sneaked in greens!

5 stars (30 ratings)

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Ingredients

for the meatballs

• ¾ pound lean ground beef
• ¾ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
• ½ onion, grated
• ⅓ cup Panko
• ¼ cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (3-inch) Parmesan rind
• ¾ cups ditalini pasta
• ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions

for the meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and basil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs, about 1 tablespoon per meatball, forming about 45 meatballs.
• Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes; set aside.

for the soup

• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
• Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce and Parmesan rind, if using. Stir in meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve immediately.

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