Italian meatball soup
- Preparation 40 min
- Cooking 45 min
- Servings 4 to 6
- Freezing Absolutely
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🍲 A true one-bowl comfort meal
This is not a light starter soup. It’s a full, satisfying meal built around tender, well-seasoned meatballs, a flavorful chicken broth, plenty of vegetables, pasta, and a Parmesan rind quietly enriching everything as it simmers. Every spoonful feels generous, balanced, and deeply comforting.
It’s the kind of soup you make when you want to feed people properly, when the kitchen smells incredible, and when everyone goes back for seconds without asking. Simple ingredients, classic Italian flavors, and a result that feels warm, hearty, and reassuring.
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✅ Small meatballs
Smaller meatballs cook quickly and stay tender in the broth.
✅ Parmesan rind
It adds depth and richness to the soup without making it heavy.
✅ Pasta cooked separately
Cooking the pasta separately prevents it from absorbing too much broth.
✅ Make-ahead
The soup tastes even better the next day once the flavors have developed.
✅ Storage
Keeps up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
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Ingredients for the meatballs
- 400g half-lean ground pork
- 400g medium-lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons Italian spiced breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian spices
- A drizzle of olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper from the mill
Ingredients
- 1 cup small pearl pasta
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Olive oil
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 Nantes carrots, cut in 4 lengthwise, sliced
- 4 cups coarsely chopped rapini
- 1 large crust of parmesan cheese
- 12 cups of chicken broth
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Preparation
- In a large bowl, add the ingredients for the meatballs, season with salt and pepper generously and mix well with your hands. Form meatballs with about 1 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture at a time and set aside.
- In a large pot heated over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and brown the meatballs on all sides, a small amount at a time, for a total of 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve on a plate. Drain the fat in the pan.
- In a large pot filled with salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions. Pour into a colander, rinse and set aside.
- Reduce meatballs pan heat to medium, add the onion and garlic, then add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the celery and carrots then mix. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Add the rapini, a thin drizzle of olive oil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add the Parmesan cheese crust, chicken broth and meatballs then season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add pasta and cook 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Spinach, kale or Swiss chard work very well, added near the end of cooking.
Freezing is possible, ideally without the pasta, which can be added when reheating.
A mix of pork and beef gives the best balance, but using a single meat works just fine.
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