Description
A comforting Italian Meatball Soup featuring tender homemade pork meatballs simmered in a flavorful tomato and chicken stock broth with pasta, herbs, and aromatic seasonings.
Ingredients
Scale
Italian Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Soup
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounces Anellini pasta or elbow pasta
- Minced fresh basil, for serving (optional)
- Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
- Red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, chopped basil, minced garlic, sea salt, and Italian seasoning. Mix thoroughly until well combined. With wet hands, form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs, approximately 1 tablespoon each.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches to avoid overcrowding. Cook them, turning occasionally, until they are browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the browned meatballs and transfer them to a plate.
- Sauté the aromatics: Using the same pot, add the diced onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Prepare the soup base: Stir in the chicken stock, water, sea salt, Italian seasoning, and crushed tomatoes into the pot. Mix well to combine.
- Simmer the meatballs: Return the browned meatballs to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
- Cook the pasta: Add the Anellini or elbow pasta to the boiling soup. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with minced fresh basil, freshly grated Parmesan, and red pepper flakes as desired for extra flavor and garnish.
Notes
- Use wet hands to form meatballs to prevent sticking.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute breadcrumbs with gluten-free breadcrumbs and use gluten-free pasta.
- You can swap ground pork with ground beef or a mix of both for different flavor profiles.
- If you don’t have Anellini pasta, elbow macaroni or small pasta shapes work well.
- For added spice, increase the amount of red pepper flakes or add fresh chili.
- The soup can be made ahead and tastes even better the next day after flavors meld.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
