It’s no secret just how much I love a good meatball recipe, and this one is an oldie but a goodie. My Hearty Meatball Soup is packed with tender, Italian-style turkey meatballs simmered in a rich tomato-based broth and plenty of veggies and pasta to make it super filling and totally budget-friendly. It’s an easy one-pot dinner the whole fam will love! And like most of my recipes, this flavor-packed soup leans on pantry staples and freezer-friendly ingredients to keep things easy on the wallet.
“A friend of mine told me about your blog just recently, and I have been obsessed ever since! I made this soup for my husband’s birthday because he is a huge meatball fan, and I have already made it again a few days later! It was soooo good!! A new winter favorite, thanks so much!”
Ashley
Today’s recipe is brought to you by the word mirepoix (aka the classic combo of diced onion, carrot, and celery). I start almost every soup this way, and once that trio is sizzling with a little garlic and olive oil, you’re already halfway to something delicious. That’s exactly how this simple meatball soup begins. I stir in some beef broth, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, pasta, and a batch of my homemade turkey meatballs to create the easiest, most delicious alternative to your average meatballs and pasta dish.
But if tomato-based soups aren’t your thing, I’ve shared a few variations below to mellow the flavor or make a lighter broth that still pairs perfectly with the meatballs!
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Gather all of your ingredients.
Sauté the veggies: Add 3 large diced carrots, 2 ribs of diced celery, 1 diced yellow onion (your mirepoix), and 4 cloves of minced garlic to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Cook the mirepoix over medium heat until the onions have softened. It’s okay if the celery and carrots are still a little firm, they will continue to cook with the soup. I also like the added texture they give the soup if they’re not cooked down to mush.
Add the liquids: Add 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices), 1 28 oz. can tomato sauce, and 4 cups beef broth to the pot with your veggies.
Add the meatballs and pasta: Bring the soup up to a simmer then add 8 oz. dry pasta and the full batch of turkey meatballs (about 16-18 meatballs). The meatballs will infuse flavor into the pot as it simmers. Bring everything back up to a simmer and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is fully cooked.
Finish: Add 2 Tbsp fresh parsley to the pot once the pasta is soft and cooked through. Mix to combine.
And then it’s pretty much done! Serve up your homemade meatball soup and sprinkle a little grated Parmesan over each bowl. I used ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese in total. Enjoy!
You can actually go three different ways with the broth for this homemade meatball soup:
Next time I make this soup, I’m going to try skipping the tomato sauce so that I can have a tomato and beef broth…and maybe add some kale. Mmmmm, yes.
This soup is already a full meal on its own, but if I want to stretch the servings further, I’d add some warm garlic bread for dipping and a simple Caesar salad on the side. It turns this hearty meatball soup into something that feels a little extra and complete!
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just a heads up—the pasta will continue to soak up the broth and soften as it sits, so the texture may change a bit. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a little extra broth if needed. You could also freeze it for up to 3 months, but the pasta can get mushy after freezing and thawing. If that bothers you (but you still want to meal-prep this soup), you could leave the pasta out and cook it separately before serving. Add some pasta to each bowl and top with the reheated soup.
Our Hearty Meatball Soup recipe was originally published 2/8/11. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 4/3/25.
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