Meatball minestrone soup is a soup recipe that has it all: veggies, protein, and carbs. It's a complete meal and healthy dinner recipe that's easy to cook and feeds a big family. Or make it to fill a lunch box for a week.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword Comfort Food, Feeds a Crowd, Green Beans, Ground Beef, Healthy, Meatballs, Pasta, Peas, Summer Squash, Vegetables, Zucchini
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
2tbspolive oil
¼mediumoniondiced small, ~¼-inch
1mediumcarrotdiced small, ~¼-inch
1largered bell pepperdiced small, ~¼-inch
1mediumzucchinidiced small, ~¼-inch
1mediumsummer squashdiced small, ~¼-inch
6ozgreen beanstrimmed and chopped into small pieces, ~¼-inch
1tbspdried oregano
1tbspdried basil
½tspcrushed red pepper flakesadd more if you like more spice
3clovesgarlicminced
28ozcanned, diced tomatoes
3cupschicken stock
1 cupfrozen peas
½lbsmall pasta cooked and drained
kosher salt
fresh basil leavesoptional, for garnish
parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano cheeseoptional, for garnish; grated
Meatballs
¼mediumonionminced finely
2clovesgarlicminced finely or grated with a microplane grater
1tspdried oregano
1tspdried basil
½tbspkosher salt
1tspground black pepper
¼cupmilk
⅓cupbreadcrumbs
1whole egg
1lbground beef
Instructions
Place a 6-8 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pot and the onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and the onion starts to become translucent. Stir occasionally.Add the zucchini, summer squash, and green beans to the pot with ½ tbsp kosher salt. Cook for another 3 minutes until the second round of vegetables begin to soften. Stir occasionallyAdd the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Cook for another minute stirring to incorporate the herbs into the rest of the vegetables.
Add the diced tomatoes with all of the juices in the can and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-minutes.
While the soup is simmering, make the meatballs. In a medium bowl, whisk together the onion, garlic, oregano, basil, kosher salt, black pepper, milk, egg, and bread crumbs. Whisk until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture looks like a thick paste.Add the ground beef and use your hands to gently mix the ground beef into the paste. You want the ground beef and bread crumb mixture to be well-combined but do this as gently as possible. Once mixed, use a tablespoon sized disher scoop (or just a tablespoon) to portion the meatball mixture. And then roll into balls. This is also a good time to get your pasta water boiling.
After 15-minutes of cooking, uncover the soup and drop the meatballs into the broth. Stir very gently to make sure the meatballs don't get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for another 15-minutes. Stir occasionally.This is a good time to cook your pasta.
After poaching the meatballs, taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Serve the soup in a bowl with ½ cup of cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and grated cheese which are optional but very much recommended.
Notes
I can't say it enough, but disher scoops make portioning meatballs (and many other things) a snap. Get a set!