Name: Italian Meatball Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound meatballs (see note); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 medium onion (chopped); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 (28 fluid ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used fire roasted); 4 cups beef broth; 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped small); 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional); 1.5 cups fusilli pasta; 1/4 cup fresh basil (torn/chopped); Salt & pepper (to taste); Parmesan cheese (for serving) (optional, to taste)

Why you'll love it

Meatballs are one of the best comfort foods out there, and adding them to soup is like a warm hug in a bowl! If you've already got them in your freezer, you can have this soup on your table in about 40 minutes.

This is one of those deeply rich, satisfying soups that tastes like it's been cooking forever, but it's actually really easy to throw together. If it's a chilly day and you're craving pasta and meatballs, this is one soup that's sure to be a hit.

What you'll need

Meatballs - homemade, store-bought, and frozen all work

Olive oil, onion, garlic - our sautéed aromatics. Sweet (Vidalia) onions are my go-to, and you can use more or less garlic

Tomatoes - I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

Beef broth - to make the flavor of the broth deep and rich

Red bell pepper - for an additional fresh crunch

Italian seasoning - it's a blend of herbs like rosemary and sage that comes in a single jar and is so flavorful

Red pepper flakes - they're optional but give a mellow warmth and don't make this soup spicy

Pasta - I used fusilli. Rotini works too.

Fresh basil - I don't recommend skipping it. It plays so well with the tomatoes in the broth!

How to make meatball soup

This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Start by making the meatballs. Either make your own (I use my recipe for Italian meatballs) or you can definitely use store bought meatballs.

Sauté the onion in a soup pot, then stir in the garlic, followed by the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, red bell pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and meatballs.

Bring it to a boil, then add the pasta. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until it's al dente. Season with salt & pepper as needed, and stir in the fresh basil!

Tips for success

We recommend crushed tomatoes for the best texture, but a can of diced tomatoes (with juices) may be used to replace them if necessary.

Some varieties of crushed tomatoes can be thicker than others. The ones I used are fairly watery, but add more broth if needed if the soup ends up a bit thick.

You can use a different kind of pasta if you prefer, but be mindful that pastas have different volumes and you may end up with more or less if you use something other than fusilli/rotini.

Substitutions and variations

This soup is pretty flexible. Feel free to throw in additional herbs or vegetables depending on what you've got in your kitchen!

Add in a handful or two of fresh spinach towards the end of cooking time as an easy way to get more greens.

You can use frozen meatballs no problem. Just make sure they're warmed through entirely.

What to serve with meatball soup

Try some garlic bread or fresh sourdough/other crusty bread.

A side salad would complement it well. Toss some mixed greens with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing or fix a Caesar salad with this easy homemade Caesar dressing!

Want to make it extra special? Top it with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan.

Leftovers and storage

This meatball soup will last 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container. You may need to add a splash more beef broth or water to leftovers when you're reheating them in a saucepan over a low heat since pasta absorbs liquid.

You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, but keep in mind that soups with pasta don't always freeze that well since the pasta becomes puffy, but it'll still taste good.

Alternatively, you could remove some of the soup you plan to freeze before you put in the pasta in while cooking. Simply make a fresh batch of pasta to add in when you're ready to eat the frozen leftovers.

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