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This easy-to-make Meatball Soup recipe is filled with tender meatballs, hearty beans, and a warm tomato broth. It’s a tasty and comforting weeknight dinner perfect for a chilly day! Plus it has plenty of protein and nutrients for a healthy dinner.
If your family loves meatballs, this Meatball and white bean Soup will become their next favorite dinner. Tender ground beef meatballs are simmered in a rich broth with tomatoes, beans, and plenty of seasonings. Top with parmesan cheese for an easy Italian soup that everyone will love.
Looking for other meatball recipes? Try our Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs or these Healthy Turkey Meatballs in Curry Sauce.
Why you’ll love this soup
- Flavorful! This soup is made with garlic, tomatoes, Italian seasonings, and Parmesan cheese for a simple but delicious flavor.
- Easy to make. This soup is easy to make and great for prepping ahead or freezing for later.
- Nutritious and filling. This soup is protein-rich, full of fiber, and packed with veggies for extra nutrients. It’s hearty and healthy all at the same time.
Ingredients you will need
This is just a list of ingredients you will need to make this Italian Meatball Soup recipe. Full measurements are listed further below.
- Whole wheat breadcrumbs: you may also use Panco bread crumbs or mash potato flakes.
- Milk: any milk of your choice
- Olive oil: or any other oil of your choice
- Egg: used as a binder for the meatballs to make it extra tender and juicy.
- Parmesan cheese: or you can also use the rinds
- Fresh parsley leaves and fresh thyme: give flavor, among other herbs you may add
- Kosher salt and Black pepper
- Lean ground beef: use lean beef, if you prefer to use ground turkey you can.
- Beef broth: this is prefered, if you prefer using vegetable broth or chicken broth that’s fine.
- Cannellini beans: or any other white beans of your choice. Great northern works just fine.
- Crushed tomatoes: we used canned but you can make your own from fresh tomatoes.
- Garlic: Do use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.
- Italian Seasoning
How to make meatball soup recipe from scratch
- Prep oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Soak breadcrumbs: In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and milk and allow it to soak for a bit.
- Make meatballs: In a large-mixing bowl, add all the remaining meatball ingredients. Add in the soaked breadcrumbs and use your clean hands to thoroughly mix.
- Form meatballs: Next, take a spoonful of mixture and roll it to form a 1.5-inch diameter meatball. Place on the prepared sheet pan, then repeat with the remaining meat mixture.
- Cook: Bake at 400F for about 12-15 minutes.
- Boil broth: Once the meatballs are almost done, place the broth in a large soup pot or dutch oven, and bring it to a boil.
- Finish soup: Add in the cooked meatballs, beans, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 18-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Garnish: Serve soup hot and topped with shredded parmesan and fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Tips and substitutions
- Breadcrumbs: We use whole wheat breadcrumbs, but you can use regular or a gluten-free substitutes as well.
- Ground beef: Use lean ground beef for a low-fat, high-protein meal. Another meat option would be to use ground turkey.
- Beans: Cannellini beans can be substituted with great northern or navy beans.
- Broth: Use canned broth or beef bouillon and hot water. Vegetable broth also works
- Italian seasonings: We used an Italian Seasoning mix, but you can substitute it with another or a homemade mix.
- For tender meatballs, be careful not to overmix the meat mixture. That will make the meat tough.
- To avoid overcooking, simmer the soup gently instead of boiling it.
- You may cook the meatballs on the stovetop instead of baking them in the oven.
- Top the soup with some more fresh herbs and a sprinkle of lemon juice.
Variations
This meatballs soup recipe is easy to modify, so use whatever you have on hand. Here are a few ideas to change it up.
- Add baby spinach or kale in the last few minutes to get your greens in.
- Add other vegetables, like mushrooms, celery stalks, zucchini, frozen carrots or peas, or green beans.
- Use ground turkey instead. You can also substitute the beef broth for chicken broth to align the flavors.
- Want to add in pasta instead of beans, use short/small pasta or orzo
- Add regular or gluten-free pasta in the last 10-12 minutes of cooking time. A small tubular pasta will be best. Note that if storing leftovers with pasta, the noodles may become soggy.
frequently asked questions
The secret to moist and tender meatballs is to soak the breadcrumbs. They absorb all the moisture from the milk and keep the meatballs soft.
You can store leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can store cooled soup in a sealed container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter or in the fridge overnight, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave. You can also bake the meatballs and freeze them for up to three months, then thaw at room temperature and add to soup when ready.
You have to use binders to make sure your meatballs stick together and don’t fall apart when you add them to the soup. Binders can be eggs, flour, mashed potato flakes, and breadcrumbs, Also pre-cook the meatballs either in the oven or on your stove-top before you add them to soup.
More soup recipes
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Beef Stroganoff Soup
- One-Pot Lasagna Soup
- Homemade Tomato Rice Soup
- Sausage and White Bean Soup
- Vegan Lentil Soup
- Creamy Potato Soup with Shrimp
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Easy Meatball Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound lean ground beef
Soup
- 4 cups beef broth, or bouillon
- 30 oz cannellini beans, 2 cans, drained and rinsed
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes, 2 cans, undrained
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme, to garnish
Instructions
Meatballs
- Start by preparing the meatballs.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and milk and allow it to soak for a bit.
- In a large bowl, add all the remaining ingredients of the meatballs. Add in the soaked breadcrumbs and use your clean hands to thoroughly mix.
- Take a spoon of mixture and roll it to form a 1.5-inch diameter meatball. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with remaining meat mixture.
- Bake at 400F for about 12-15 minutes.
Soup
- Once the meatballs are almost done, place the broth to a large soup pot and bring to a boil.
- Add in the cooked meatballs, beans, tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for about 18-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve soup hot and topped with shredded parmesan and fresh thyme. Enjoy!
Notes
- Breadcrumbs: We use whole wheat breadcrumbs, but you can use regular or a gluten-free substitute as well.
- Ground beef: Use a lean ground beef for a low-fat, high-protein meal.
- Beans: Cannellini beans can be substituted with great northern or navy beans.
- Broth: Use canned broth or beef bouillon and hot water.
- Italian seasonings: We used an Italian Seasoning mix, but you can substitute it with another brand or a homemade mix.
- For tender meatballs, be careful not to overmix the meat mixture. That will make the meat tough.
- To avoid overcooking, simmer the soup gently instead of boiling it.
- Storage: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled soup in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Freeze cooked meatballs for up to 3 months, then thaw and add to soup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use frozen meatballs for convenience?
yes sure why not
I added 2 cups of fresh baby Spinach and 2 cups of cooked long grain rice. I really enjoy this recipe! Thank you!
Glad you liked it
Made this tonight. I used elk burger for meatballs because we only eat game meat. I also added two cans of light red kidney beans besides cannellini beans. This was absolutely delicious . My husband said please make again!
I am making it right now. It’s hot out but I just had to make it. It sounded so good.
Sounds delicious!!!! I saw someone added onions,celery,and carrots. Can I add peppers,zucchini,green beans? I love lots of veggies in my soup…. Thanks
yes sure
I love this soup so much! It has a nice chili-like consistency and it is just good comfort food. So yum!!!
Made this tonight for dinner and everyone loved it! This one is a definite keeper. It cooled down here and soup sounded good and I’m glad I made this one . I will for sure be making this again and look forward to making more of your recipes. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Thanks for the feedback Greg. Glad you liked it
I’m gonna try this but I’m a little confused by the directions. Are those 2 30-ounce cans of beans and 2 30-ounce cans of tomatoes? Or two 15-oz cans to make 30 ounces total?
2 (15 oz) cans and 30 ounce total
First time I made meatballs soup , really enjoyed , lovely flavours. I always do it for pasta .
Delicious recipes
Awesome. Happy you loved it
This soup is very heavy. It was more like sauce you would pour over pasta. I questioned using crushed tomatoes. The beans seem unnecessary. Would add healthier vegetables such as celery, carrots, spinach or peppers.
I made all your soup recipes, delicious I avoid the garlic, (I am allergic) everyone at home enjoy very much.
Thanks Rena for your great delicious recipes.
So glad you loved it.
So good! added carrot, celery and onion as well 🙂
Thanks! Glad you loved it
Do you use seasoned breadcrumbs??
No. But you can.