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Meatball Soup

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4.9 from 11 reviews

This creamy Italian meatball soup recipe comes together in one pot and is loaded with juicy meatballs and al dente pasta nestled in an herb-filled creamy tomato broth. It’s everything you love about Sunday night spaghetti dinner in a warm, comforting bowl of soup!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 recipe of my homemade meatballs (or an 18-20 oz. bag of frozen meatballs, thawed)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 32 oz. chicken broth
  • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 8 oz. (or about 2 1/2 cups) uncooked rotini pasta
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • shaved Parmesan and freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Make my easy homemade Italian meatballs recipe, my air fryer meatballs recipe, or use an 18-20 oz. bag of frozen meatballs that have been thawed overnight in the fridge or cooked according to package directions.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add diced yellow onion along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 6-8 minutes. They’ll start to brown a bit and caramelize – this is good!
  3. Add 6 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
  4. Add a few splashes of broth until you can easily clean the bottom of the pot, scraping all the yummy bits off the bottom.
  5. Stir in what’s remaining of the 32 oz. of broth, 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, 8 oz. uncooked pasta, and cooked meatballs along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
  6. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente.
  7. Stir in 2 cups baby spinach and 1/2 cup heavy cream until the spinach wilts and the soup is warmed through.
  8. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with shaved Parmesan and freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!
  9. If you loved this recipe, leave a 5-star rating and review below!

Equipment

Notes

  • Season this soup moderately! The ingredients in this soup are simple which means that Kosher salt and black pepper are going to go a long way in boosting the overall flavors of the dish. I recommend adding salt and pepper each time you add a new ingredient to the soup. This way each layer of flavor is seasoned. After it’s finished cooking, season to taste with salt and pepper!
  • If you have a leftover Parmesan cheese rind, add it to the pot and let it simmer along with the other ingredients. It will add a delicious nutty depth of flavor to the soup.
  • The soup will thicken as it sits. Keep that in mind as it’s cooking. If it seems like it’s getting too thick, add an extra splash or two of broth or cream.

Nutrition