Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup
You have to try our Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup – the ultimate comfort for cozy winter nights. Made with tender meatballs, Italian pastina, carrots, celery, and spinach, this hearty bowl is deeply satisfying and full of flavor. So YUMMY! Everyone will love this loaded vegetable meatball soup recipe.
Our Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup is pure winter comfort. We made it with our family’s recipe for baked tender meatballs, Acini di Pepe pastina, and a medley of carrots, celery, onions, and spinach in a rich, satisfying broth. It is so delicious and soothing, it’s an ideal soup especially on a cold winter’s night.
The best part? This soup is so versatile that you can make the meatballs using ground beef, turkey, or chicken.
Plus, our soup is so simple, too, using fresh vegetables and quality ingredients that make this soup so flavorful and satisfying.
We love meatballs. Who doesn’t? Some of our favorite meals are Chicken Noodle Soup with Mini Meatballs, Mom’s Sunday Meatballs, and Turkey Meatballs in Lemon Sauce. Be sure to try these recipes soon.
What You’ll Need for our Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup
To Make the Meatballs:
- Ground Beef (or ground chicken, or turkey)
- Eggs
- Garlic
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Plain bread crumbs (or GF)
- Fresh Parsley
To Make the Soup:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion
- Garlic Powder
- Salt & Cayenne Powder
- Vegetable Broth
- Bottled Water
- Acini di Pepe (Italian pastina)
- Baby Spinach
- Grated parmesan cheese, for serving at the table
How to Make Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup?
This is a 2-step recipe. The first step is to make the meatballs and bake them for 15 minutes. The second step is to make the vegetable soup on the stovetop, then add the meatballs and fresh spinach at the end.
Step 1: Make the Meatballs
Grab a mixing bowl, add the ground meat, bread crumbs, eggs, grated cheese, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and parsley. Mix the ingredients with your hands until well combined.
Make small meatballs, the size of a golf ball. Place them onto a baking sheet. Then, BAKE in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Soup!
In the meantime, in a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil, and add the carrots, celery, and onions. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add all the liquids (broth and water), and seasonings. Bring to a boil, and add the Italian pastina (acini di pepe) and cook until the pastina is cooked, about 9 minutes. Then add in the baked meatballs.
Toss in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach. Simmer until the spinach wilts, then serve.
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Recipe Tips
- Add More Spinach! I only tossed in two handfuls of baby spinach, but feel free to toss in more, about 4 handfuls, if you like.
- Add More Broth. Also, the Italian pastina, aka Acini de Pepe, will absorb most of the broth, especially the longer it sits in the pot. Feel free to add additional water to the soup to give you more broth.
- Use Different Meats: Plus, you can make this soup with either vegetable broth, chicken, or beef broth. Either one will give this soup a delicious flavor.
- Final Taste! Be sure to take the final taste of the soup and adjust the salt before serving.
- Optional: Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.
Storing & Freezing
- To Store: With any recipe, allow the soup to cool completely. Then store it in a sealed container and place it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: This soup will freeze well, if sealed and stored properly, for 1 month.
More Hearty Soups
- Beef Vegetable Soup
- Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- Quick & Easy Broccoli Soup
- Tuscan Chickpea & Vegetable Soup
Hello friends! Are you cooking or baking with us? If you make our Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup, let us know and leave a comment and a star rating on the recipe card below! Snap a photo and hashtag it on Instagram, or Pinterest. Be sure to tag us @2sistersrecipes. And, thank you! 🙂
Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup
Our Loaded Vegetable Meatball Soup is pure winter comfort, with tender meatballs, Italian pastina, and a medley of carrots, celery, and spinach in a rich, satisfying broth. It is so delicious and soothing, especially on a cold winter's night.
Ingredients
To Make the Meatballs:
- 16-ounces (1 pound) ground beef
- 2 eggs
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 2/3 tsp. salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
To Make the Soup!
- 2 to 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 5 stalks of celery - sliced
- 2 carrots - peeled, and sliced
- 1 onion - diced
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 32 ounce (1-Qt) No salt, Vegetable Broth
- 3 cups of bottled water, and extra
- 3/4 cup Acini di Pepe pasta
- 2 tsp. salt
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- grated parmesan cheese , for serving at the table
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on your baking sheet.
- Make the Meatballs: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the ground beef, eggs, salt, minced garlic, grated cheese, plain bread crumbs, parsley, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Mix it using your hands until well combined. Then, grab a teaspoonful of the meat mixture and roll it into golf-size balls. Place each one onto the prepared baking sheet.
- BAKE the Meatballs: Bake on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes. (Set a timer to remind you.) Remove and set them aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Soup: In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil, and toss in the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Cook on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, Pour in the Liquids: Pour in one quart of broth and 3 cups of water, and cover. Bring to a full boil, and add the Italian Acini di pepe (pastina), plus 2 teaspoons of salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper. Cover, raise the heat, and bring to a full boil. Then lower the heat and cook, covered, for 9 minutes.
- Lastly, uncover and add back the meatballs, and toss in 2 handfuls of fresh baby spinach. Stirand simmer until the spinach wilts. Taste, and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Then serve.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- Add More Spinach! I only tossed in two handfuls of baby spinach, but feel free to toss in more, about 4 handfuls, if you like.
- Add More Broth. Also, the Italian pastina, aka Acini de Pepe, will absorb most of the broth, especially the longer it sits in the pot. Feel free to add additional water to the soup to give you more broth.
- Use Different Meats: Plus, you can make this soup with either vegetable broth, chicken, or beef broth. Either one will give this soup a delicious flavor.
- Final Taste! Be sure to take the final taste of the soup, and adjust the salt before serving.
- Optional: Serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.
- To Store: With any recipe, allow the soup to cool completely. Then store it in a sealed container and place it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: This soup will freeze well, if sealed and stored properly, and up for 1 month.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 511Total Fat: 23gCarbohydrates: 28.8gFiber: 4.1gSugar: 5.8gProtein: 46.7g
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Stay warm… and have a delicious day!
Thanks for stopping by…
xo anna and liz
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Delicious! This was so tasty thank you!