This meatball soup recipe is a tasty and simple way to enjoy homemade or store-bought meatballs. It has a delicious tomato broth and plenty of pasta.
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 already have meatballs in your freezer, you can have this soup on your table in about 40 minutes.
How to make meatball soup (overview):
Start by making the meatballs (either make your own - I use my recipe for Italian meatballs or use your own recipe or 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. Season with salt & pepper as needed and stir in the fresh basil. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
You may also like my Lasagna Soup.
Recipe notes & tips:
- You can use frozen meatballs.
- A can of diced tomatoes (with juices) may be used to replace the crushed tomatoes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Some varieties of crushed tomatoes can be thicker than others (I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes and they're fairly watery), so add more broth if needed if the soup ends up a bit thick.
- The pasta will absorb more of the liquid the longer it sits, so you may need to add a splash more beef broth or water to leftovers when you're reheating them.
- Leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge. You can freeze leftovers, but keep in mind that soups with pasta don't always freeze that well (the pasta becomes puffy), but it'll still taste good.
Love meatballs? Try these recipes:
- Swedish Meatballs
- Easy Baked Porcupine Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Turkey Meatball Soup
- Cheesy Baked Meatball Skillet
What to serve with meatball soup?
Try some garlic bread (or fresh sourdough/other crusty bread) or a side salad (try one with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing).
Questions about this Italian meatball soup? Let me know in the comments below.
Italian Meatball Soup
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
Instructions
- Prep time for this soup doesn't include making meatballs from scratch. If needed, make the meatballs (use my meatball recipe and you'll have about half of the batch left over for other meals) or use store-bought or your own recipe.
- Add the olive oil and onions to a soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, red bell pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and meatballs. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Add the pasta once it's boiling.
- Reduce the heat and simmer it (covered, with the lid slightly open) for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir it a few times to ensure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot. Note: Some brands of crushed tomatoes are thicker than others. Add more beef broth if the soup has become too thick (this soup is meant to be quite brothy).
- Stir in the basil and season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve with parmesan grated over top if desired.
Notes
- Meatballs vary a lot in size and ingredients, so add as many as you think people will eat. I added 12 from my homemade recipe since they're fairly large.
- Served 4-6 depending on how many meatballs are added/how hungry people are, and what else it's served with.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. The meatballs in this calculation are the generic ones in the nutrition calculator.
Nevair says
Making this tomorrow! If doubling, would every ingredient be doubled, or just certain ones?
Natasha says
Hi! I would double everything in this one. Regarding the quantity of meatballs, you could certainly add a bit less/more depending on what looks right to you. Hope you enjoy the soup! 🙂
Nora Christie says
Very easy to make with either homemade or store bought meatballs. Can easily add additional spices to change it up. Definitely a good cold night dish.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it, Nora!
Julie says
Thank you for this recipe. It’s terrific. My grandmother used to make a meatball and string bean stew. I never had a written recipe and over the years I forgot how to replicate the base. And this is very close. Definitely a keeper. Good as is or with additions.
Natasha says
You're very welcome!! That makes me so happy that it reminds you of your grandmother's recipe! 🙂
Lacy says
If using frozen meatballs, when would you recommend adding them?
Natasha says
Step 4. They should have plenty of time to warm through, but test one to make sure and give it a little more time if needed. Enjoy! 🙂
Julie says
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it, Julie! Thanks for your review!
Julie says
This sounds delicious! Quick question - if I use your homemade meatball recipe, do I fully cook the meatballs separately before adding them into the soup? Thanks!
Natasha says
Hello! So, I would say that if you're going to be cooking them anyway (like making a big batch) then yes, cook them. If you're making meatballs just for this soup, you could throw them in raw/lightly seared, just be sure that they're fully cooked through (that shouldn't be too difficult with the 15 min cook time).
AngelaML says
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! So delicious and easy to make. I left out the red peppers and had the red pepper flakes on the table, my son loved adding them. Hubby added the parm as well. I used frozen turkey meatballs, quartered to bite size.
I knew it would be delicious, so doubled the recipe as hubby is visiting with MIL today and he will take her a quart of the leftovers. She loves sampling all of your recipes! Needed to use 2 dutch oven pots. I also added a bag of baby spinach to slip in the greens as you suggested. Lovely!
Definitely adding to our dinner rotation. Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm really glad you enjoyed this one, Angela! 🙂 You're very welcome! That's so sweet about your MIL liking the recipes too!!