Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Meatball Soup
Little meatballs and elbow macaroni make a tomato-rich soup feel generous from the first spoonful. Carrots and celery soften into the savory beef broth, with herbs giving it a familiar aroma.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 18 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Mix before shaping
Combine the meatball ingredients thoroughly before rolling the mixture into small balls and setting them on the baking sheet.
2. Sear in batches
Brown the meatballs on all sides in batches so each has room in the hot pot.
3. Add pasta after simmering
Let the meatballs and vegetables simmer uncovered first, then stir in the macaroni for its cooking stage.
Get to know the ingredients
Ground beef
Ground beef forms the meatballs, mixed with the listed binder and seasonings before shaping and searing.
Undrained tomatoes
The diced tomatoes are listed undrained, so their liquid goes into the soup with the other broth ingredients.
Elbow macaroni
Use uncooked elbow macaroni and add it after the initial uncovered simmer, letting it cook in the soup.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Meatball Soup
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Tender pasta to finish
Finish cooking the soup after adding macaroni, making sure the pasta has cooked through before serving.
A little more help as you go
Two onion preparations
The ingredient list distinguishes minced onion for the meatballs from chopped onion listed with the soup ingredients.
Bring up, then lower
After stirring in the soup ingredients, bring the pot to a boil before reducing the heat for uncovered simmering.
A few questions you might have
Are the meatballs baked first?
They are shaped on a baking sheet, then seared on all sides in the pot before the soup ingredients enter.
Do I drain the diced tomatoes?
No, the ingredient list explicitly says not to drain them before adding them to the soup.
Does the macaroni cook separately?
No, stir the uncooked macaroni into the soup after its first simmer and cook until the pasta is done.
Is the first simmer covered?
The directions specify an uncovered simmer after boiling, before the macaroni is stirred into the soup.
How large are the meatballs?
The shaping step calls for one-inch meatballs before they are seared in batches and added to the soup.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
