This simple and delicious meatball soup recipe is perfect for a quick and easy dinner. With hearty meatballs, flavorful broth, and vegetables, it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family. It is lightly seasoned with Italian spices in a tasty, beefy, rich tomato broth.
This delectable tender meatball soup combines onions, carrots, celery, and green beans with Italian seasonings in a rich tomato beef broth with homemade meatballs and mini Farfalle Pasta. This soup is a complete meal, but sometimes I like to serve it with a garden salad and cheese garlic bread.
Get ready for a hearty and flavorful meal with this quick and easy meatball soup recipe. Packed with protein and veggies, it’s the perfect dish for a busy weeknight dinner. If your family is anything like mine, comforting soup recipes are a must.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Ground beef: with a bit of fat in it for flavor
- Vegetables: onions, garlic, carrots, celery, green beans, and fire-roasted canned tomatoes
- Breadcrumbs: Italian, unseasoned, or homemade
- Egg: to help bind the meatballs
- Seasonings: salt, black pepper, fresh parsley for garnish, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, garlic powder, and onion powder
- Olive oil: substitute vegetable oil or canola oil
- Beef broth: low sodium or beef stock
- Tomato sauce: canned or homemade
- Small pasta: Any small pasta or noodles will work, like Mini Farfalle, ditalini, acini de pepe, or orzo.
How to make Meatball Soup
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Make the meatball mixture and roll it into meatballs. Brown them in a skillet or bake them in the oven. Saute the onions, carrots, celery, and green beans until the onions and celery are soft. Add the spices and cook for another minute or so.
Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, and fire-roasted tomatoes, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the pasta and cooked meatballs and simmer until the pasta is tender.
Recipe Tips
- Canned, fire-roasted tomatoes are charred over an open flame before being diced and canned. You can find them at your local grocery store, along with other canned tomatoes.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to each soup bowl for added flavor.
Storage, Reheat and Freezing
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can be reheated on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, first cool to room temperature. Then spoon into freezer zipper bags, removing as much air as possible. Remember that liquid expands as it freezes, so do not fill the bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or microwave at reduced power.
For best results, if you freeze or store any of this soup for later consumption, remove the portion you will save before adding the pasta. Hold back a proportionate amount of pasta and add it when you reheat the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Substitute ground chicken, pork, or turkey for the ground beef. They all make delicious meatballs. Substitute chicken broth if you are using ground chicken or ground turkey.
I prefer fresh veggies, but frozen veggies can also be used. Just add them to the simmering soup.
Save time with frozen premade meatballs, or make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them. There is no need to thaw them. Just drop them in the simmering broth frozen.
Meatball Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef
- ¼ cup finely minced yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup Italian or plain breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Meatball Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 ½ cups green beans trimmed and cut in one inch segments
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 can 8 ounce tomato sauce
- 1 can 14.5 ounce fire roasted tomatoes
- ¾ cup Mini Farfalle pasta ditalini, acini de pepe or orzo
- fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gently mix the ground beef, minced yellow onion, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl. Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop for equal proportioning, roll the meatballs and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown them. Work in batches and do not crowd the pan. Add more oil if needed. Remove the meatballs to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- In a large, heavy stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, and green beans. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until slightly soft and fragrant. Add the parsley, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the beef broth, tomato sauce, and fire-roasted tomatoes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Let everything simmer for about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and browned meatballs, simmer for an additional 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve it promptly, so the pasta does not overcook.
Notes
- Substitute ground chicken, ground pork, or ground turkey for the ground beef.
- I prefer fresh veggies, but frozen can be used as well
- In a pinch, you can use frozen meatballs.
- Substitute chicken broth if you using ground turkey.
- Canned fire-roasted tomatoes are tomatoes that are charred over an open flame before they are diced and canned. They can be found at your local grocery store with other canned tomatoes.
- Any small pasta or noodles will work, like Mini Farfalle, ditalini, acini de pepe, or orzo.
- For added flavor, add 1-2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to each soup bowl.
Nutrition
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Sharon
This meatball soup is so hearty and full of good for you vegetables. The perfect meal for the colder months.
Neely Moldovan
Oh this meatball soup sounds so good! Totally going to try this!
Ntensibe Edgar
Wow…I just want this for lunch and supper today! Pasta and meatballs put together must slap different. Thanks for sharing about it.
Kristy Bullard
This is delicious! I made it with gluten-free noodles (because I have an allergy) and it’s a perfect fall soup!
Nkem
This looks like a delicious meal! I think it’s probably very flavorful too.
Ivana Mearns
This looks truly delicious. I made broth with liver dumplings before but have never thought of making meatball soup with a bit of pasta… until now! A great idea, thank you !
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Ivana! Enjoy!
Elise Ho
My family loves to have soup. Therefore it is great to see some new recipes. Thank you.
Rose Ann Sales
I love meatball soup, I’ll probably just add the volume of the vegetables here to make it more healthy. Thanks for the recipe.
Elizabeth O
I tried this with Cornbread Recipe as you suggested. It was perfect!
briannemanz
I love this recipe. What other vegetables I can add to it?
Alita Pacio
I love meatball soup. I’d use some frozen turkey for this
Ave
What a perfect dish for those cold autumn and winter days. I like that you can make this in a crockpot too. Have to give this recipe a try soon.
Elizabeth Hedricm
Can this be done in a crockpot?
Beth Pierce
Yes! Start by browning the sausage. When it is almost fully browned add the onion and cook until the sausage is done browning and the onion has softened. Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme and crushed red pepper Cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Transfer to a crock pot.
In a small bowl whisk the tomato paste with about 1/2 cup beef broth. Add the vegetable broth, remaining beef broth, fire roasted tomatoes and thinned out tomato paste to the crock pot. Cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Increase temperature to high. Then add the tortellini cooking for about 30 minutes or until tender. Add the arugula and cook for about 10 minutes. Finally ladle into bowls and top with 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese.
Belinda Smith
For the meatballs, if I used fresh, do they need to be fully cooked prior to adding to recipe?
Beth Pierce
I would brown them and cook them most of the way. I like the texture and it helps keep the meatballs intact.
Okie Domer
Made this soup and it was delicious. I omitted green beans and added more carrots.
Helen
How do you stop your pasra from soaking up all the juice afterwords with left overs
Beth Pierce
Pull your leftovers before you add the pasta. Then add the pasta to your leftover soup when you reheat it.