A perfect weeknight dinner! This Italian Meatball Soup recipe is full of tender, plump tortellini, mini meatballs and flavorful Parmesan cheese in a zesty tomato broth.
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword italian meatball soup, Meatball Soup, Tortellini Soup
Prep Time 5minutes
Cook Time 30minutes
0minutes
Total Time 35minutes
Servings 9cups
Calories 448kcal
Author Blair Lonergan
Ingredients
2teaspoonsolive oil
1small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
1tablespoonminced garlic
1(28 oz)can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)
1(15 oz)can tomato sauce
1tablespoonItalian seasoning
4cupsbeef broth (or more to thin the soup if desired)
1(20 oz)package frozen Italian mini meatballs, thawed
20ouncesfresh refrigerated cheese tortellini pasta
½cupshredded Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute.
Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, beef broth, and meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer (uncovered) for 20 minutes.
Add tortellini and cook just until tender, about 5-7 more minutes.
Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
Serve soup immediately, and garnish with additional cheese and fresh herbs.
Notes
This soup has a very thick consistency -- almost like a stew. Feel free to stir in extra broth at the end to thin the soup, if desired.
If you prefer made-from-scratch mini meatballs in your soup, follow these recipe instructions. You can use ground beef, ground chicken, ground pork, ground turkey or ground sausage to make the meatballs.
Frozen Italian mini meatballs work best in this soup, since the meatballs are a nice size for scooping up with a spoon.
I prefer the quick-cooking, fresh taste of refrigerated cheese tortellini. If you would like to substitute with dry tortellini or frozen tortellini, just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions on your specific product. You may also need to add more broth to the pot, since dry pasta tends to absorb more liquid than fresh pasta while it cooks.
Cooking Just for Two? Prepare a smaller batch of soup by cutting all of the ingredients in half. For instance, use a 15-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, a 2-cup can of broth, fewer meatballs, and a small package of tortellini (rather than the 20-ounce "Family Size" called for in the full recipe).