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–+ servings
Italian Meatball Soup

Italian Meatball Soup

Yield: 8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
The COZIEST soup with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs, little pasta noodles (ditalini pasta) and sneaked in greens!
5 stars (33 ratings)

Ingredients

for the meatballs

  • ¾ pound lean ground beef
  • ¾ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
  • ½ onion, grated
  • ⅓ cup Panko
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (3-inch) Parmesan rind
  • ¾ cups ditalini pasta
  • ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions

for the meatballs

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and basil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs, about 1 tablespoon per meatball, forming about 45 meatballs.
  • Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes; set aside.

for the soup

  • Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce and Parmesan rind, if using. Stir in meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
  • Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve immediately.