Meatball Soup

This Meatball Soup recipe has a savory tomato broth with Italian seasonings, pasta noodles, spinach, and bell peppers. Top each serving bowl with a dollop of ricotta cheese and some Parmesan and you have a restaurant quality meal that your family will love!

Meatball Soup:

I know that the ingredient list is a little bit long here, but this recipe has the best combination of flavors. My family (picky 5-year old included), loves this recipe. Adding a dollop of Ricotta cheese prior to serving really takes it to the next level.

PRO TIP: If you have the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese, add it to the soup while it simmers for next level flavor!

What Makes It Different:

The meatballs start out with a panade, which is a starch (breadcrumbs) and a liquid (heavy cream) combined together to form a paste which is gently worked into the meat to keep it extra juicy and flavorful during the cooking process.

The broth is a combination of chicken broth, beef broth, and blended tomatoes with a perfect seasoning blend. Onions are caramelized slightly in the beginning so that their natural sugars can offset the acidity from the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
Meatballs
1 egg, beaten
½ cup heavy cream, can sub milk
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated into a powder
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ lb. ground beef, 80% lean
Soup
1 tablespoon butter
1 yellow onion, diced
½ cup bell peppers, diced. (Red, green, or both)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups beef broth, can sub chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup heavy cream
2 cups spinach
1 cup dry pasta, I used cavatappi
Seasonings
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Salt/Pepper, to taste
For Serving
8 oz. Ricotta Cheese
½ cup Parmesan Cheese
Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions:

For the Meatballs
Combine the whisked egg and heavy cream in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and stir for 1-2 minutes to form a paste. This is called a “panade” and will make the meatballs super flavorful and tender. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the ground beef and gently combine, don’t overwork the meat, we want tender meatballs.
Roll the meat into 1-inch balls.
Heat the olive oil in a 4 ½ quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes, add a splash of olive oil throughout cooking and decrease heat slightly as needed. The inside of the meatballs will finish cooking in the soup.
Remove the meatballs and set aside.
For the Soup
Place the diced tomatoes in a large bowl and use an immersion blender to blend it to your desired texture, chunks of tomato can be left if preferred. (Alternatively, you can also use a blender.) Set aside.
Melt the butter in the same soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes, a little longer than normal as this will release some of their sugar which counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes. Stir every few minutes.
Add the peppers and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
Add in the chicken broth, beef broth, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. You can also simmer it longer to contrate the flavor and thicken it more.
Stir the soup and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Add the meatballs and the pasta and return it to a gentle boil. Cook until pasta is cooked through, refer to package for cooking time. It may take a little longer since we’re boiling gently. Test-taste a noodle before serving.
Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
Transfer to serving bowls and top with ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. (You can warm the ricotta in the microwave first if preferred.)