Meatball Soup
A hearty soup made with lean ground beef, a healthy dose of vegetables and herbs, a savory tomatoey broth, and lovely little ditalini pasta. A cozy soup that's sure to satisfy!Recipe makes about 13 cups.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb 90 to 93% lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup (1.2 oz) panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup (1 oz) finely shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 6 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
- 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper, plus more for soup
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots (2 medium)`
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery (2 medium ribs)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth (5 1/4 cups), plus more to thin if desired
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 cup (4.5 oz) dry ditalini pasta
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- For the meatballs: In a mixing bowl toss together, beef, panko, parmesan, egg, 2 Tbsp parsley, the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Break up the beef as you toss to evenly combine ingredients, just don't over-work the mixture so meatballs stay tender.
- Scoop mixture out just over 1 Tbsp at a time (I use a #60 cookie scoop, lightly heaped), and shape into rounds. Set them on a baking tray or cutting board as you work.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and saute 8 to 9 minutes until almost tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Meanwhile drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add meatballs once heated and cook until golden brown on top and bottom, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate (if you have some browned bits in the pan deglaze it with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and add it to the soup mixture once veggies are sauteed with remaining chicken broth for added flavor).
- To the sauteed vegetable mixture add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, remaining 1 tsp Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add meatballs and pasta, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Off heat stir in remaining 4 Tbsp parsley and the basil. Thin soup with more broth as needed (it will thicken as it rests). Top individual servings with shredded parmesan cheese to taste.