Italian Meatball Soup with Pasta and Beans
Savory and comforting Italian Meatball Soup is a perfect family meal. Ready in under 40 minutes, this soup makes a great and easy weeknight dinner.
It’s hearty and healthy and oh so tasty! I love it because it is full of delicious Italian flavors. And it is a perfect warming comfort food!
The Secret to Great Meatballs
The secret to the meatballs are the yummy flavors of garlic, fresh basil & mint. And the combination of ground beef & Italian sausage help to create a juicy meatball.
I also use a slice of bread in place of breadcrumbs to act as a binder without drying the meatballs out.
Also, when making the meatballs, begin by browning the outside and then they’ll finish the cooking of the meat inside of the soup broth.
How to Make Italian Meatball Soup
Start this soup off by making the meatballs. Chop up the garlic, and fresh basil & mint to add to the meatballs.
Remove the casing from the Italian sausage and add the meat to the meatball mixture.
Add in the egg, pinch of salt, and bread that has been chopped into small pieces.
Be careful when mixing up the meat, that you don’t overwork it. This can lead to making the meatballs tough. You’ll just want to be sure to incorporate the ingredients well. Shape into meatballs – makes about 15.
Add olive oil to a dutch oven or similar large cooking pot. Heat up and add the meatballs to the pot. While the meatballs are cooking, start to cut up and prepare the vegetables.
When the oil is warmed up, add the meatballs to the pot. Lightly brown the meatballs on each side. Remove from pot and set aside. They will finish cooking in the soup broth in just a bit.
Sauté the Vegetables
After you’ve removed the meatballs, drain off any excess grease. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the same pot you cooked the meatballs in. And sauté the onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat until translucent.
Stir in the tomato paste until well mixed. Then incorporate in the bone broth and diced tomatoes.
Return the meatballs to the pot. Bring soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer.
Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!
You can use whichever your favorite or desired pasta shape is. For the recipe, I used Penne pasta.
Place a lid on the bot and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Or until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender…but not mushy.
Drain, but don’t rinse the Cannellini beans and the pasta. Add them both to the soup and simmer 5 more minutes.
Serve the soup with a little bit of freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.
This soup can be refrigerated and frozen to save for later. To reheat this soup, I recommend doing so slowly on the stovetop. I have not reheated using a microwave, so I can’t speak to the results of the flavors after doing so.
Italian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 4-5 large fresh basil leaves chopped
- 2-3 fresh mint leaves chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 egg
- 1 slice of bread cut into small cubes
- pinch of salt
Soup Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 14.5 oz jarred diced tomatoes
- 1 cup of bone broth
- 13 oz jar cannellini beans
- 1 cup cooked pasta
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Cheese and fresh basil if desired.
Instructions
- Start this soup off by making the meatballs. Chop up the garlic, and fresh basil & mint to add to the ground meat mixture. Reserve one garlic for the soup base.
- Add in the egg, pinch of salt, and bread that has been chopped into small pieces. Mix well and form meatballs. This should make about 15 meatballs.
- Be careful when mixing up the meat, that you don’t overwork it. This can lead to making the meatballs tough. You’ll just want to be sure to incorporate the ingredients well.
- Add oil to large stock pot. When the oil is warmed up, add the meatballs to the pot. Lightly brown the meatballs on each side. Remove from pot and set aside. They will finish cooking in the soup broth in just a bit.
- After you’ve removed the meatballs, drain off any excess grease. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add in 1 chopped garlic clove. Stir until fragrant (about 30-45 seconds).
- Stir in the tomato paste until well mixed. Then incorporate in the bone broth and diced tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt to the soup.
- Return the meatballs to the pot. Bring soup to a boil and then lower to a simmer.
- Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!
- Place a lid on the bot and simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Or until the meat is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender…but not mushy.
- Drain, but don’t rinse the Cannellini beans and the pasta. Add them both to the soup and simmer 5 more minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pasta.
- Serve the soup with a little bit of freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.
