Soul-Satisfying Meatball Soup

(Inspired by Italian Wedding Soup)

Soul-satisfying meatball soup. (Inspired by Italian Wedding Soup)

My parents and mother-in-law, love soup. So, I’m always looking for ways to make them full meals packed with goodness. This batch has veggies, kale, pasta and meatballs loaded into a flavourful broth with passata.

I made a 1/2 batch of turkey meatballs for my mother-in-law and a 1/2 batch of pork for my parents because that’s what I pulled out of the freezer.
A hearty soup perfect for fall lunches or dinners!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups passata
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 cup uncooked small macaroni elbow pasta
• 2 cups kale, chopped (spines removed)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Chili flakes (optional)

For the Meatballs

• 2 pounds ground turkey (pork or chicken)
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, Panko, Parmesan, egg, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs, forming about 24-30 meatballs.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside. (Meatballs can be cooked in the stockpot or Dutch oven that the soup will be made in, but I do it separately to limit the oil/fat in the soup).

Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, chili flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in passata and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes to incorporate the flavours. Pour in chicken stock, add bay leaves and rosemary, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add in meatballs & kale; simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

For serving

If serving all the soup in one sitting add the elbow macaroni to the pot with the meatballs.

If portioning it out for loved ones or to enjoy at a later date, I put the macaroni in the fry pan that cooked the meatballs (wiped clean) add enough of the soup liquid to cover the pasta (strain just the liquid) and cook the pasta until al dente, 6-7 minutes. Then I strain the liquid back in the soup and spread the cooked pasta on a sheet pan to cool.

I find that sometimes when I store soup with pasta, the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, so I prefer to store it separately and add to the soup just before serving.

Remove bay leaves then stir in lemon juice and parsley until season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan, chopped parsley, and more chili flakes (optional to taste)

If you like this Soul-Satisfying Meatball Soup recipe, you can fine more of my favourite soup & chili recipes here.

Meatballs browned in my 11” Hestan ProBond Forged Stainless Steel Nonstick Skillet. The 11” skillet is a workhorse in my kitchen!

Whether you’re looking for a NanoBond, CopperBond or ProBond, now is a great time to add a skillet to your collection! Check out HestanCulinary.com for details!

Proud Hestan Culinary Ambassador. Opinions in this post are my own.