Italian Meatball Soup
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The COZIEST soup with homemade, tender, juicy meatballs, little pasta noodles (ditalini pasta) and sneaked in greens!
It’s freezing cold outside but I have everything I need right here with the coziest meatball soup. It is basically a giant hug in a bowl that just makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.
Made with completely homemade little meatballs (store-bought is completely fine if you’re in a pinch), ditalini pasta (my favorite little tube-like pasta), and sneaked-in greens (totally fine to swap out spinach for the kale or your favorite greens).
It’s an incredibly versatile recipe, and I sometimes make it ahead of time, stirring in the kale right before serving. I also always have a fresh baguette on standby for dipping purposes.

Italian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
for the meatballs
- ¾ pound lean ground beef
- ¾ pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- ½ onion, grated
- ⅓ cup Panko
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
for the soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- ¾ cups ditalini pasta
- ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
for the meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, Panko, milk, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic and basil; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 3/4-inch meatballs, about 1 tablespoon per meatball, forming about 45 meatballs.
- Place meatballs in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes; set aside.
for the soup
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken stock and tomato sauce. Stir in meatballs. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in pasta and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this tonight following the recipe pretty much lol.
Substitutions or changes I made:
– 2 lbs of ground beef
– 5 cups chicken broth, 1 can beef broth (helps with meatballs)
– Used spinach instead of Kale
– Instead of tomato sauce I used 1 can of Hunts fire roasted tomatoes.
– Added more Ditalini, next time will select a slightly larger pasta.
Soo delicious! It was rather time consuming to make, and I almost threw out the recipe. Then we ate it for dinner and we both loved it! Tasty and comforting on a cold night. It’s a keeper!
A NEW FAVORITE!
This recipe is so DAMN DELICIOUS that it is now a part of my winter rotation… for years to come! We used 1# of beef & 1# of sausage which made 62 meat balls so froze 14 to use at another time.
We had this soup for dinner last night and it was so flavorful and good! Can’t wait to make it again!
Very yummy! Our soup cooked down a lot more than pictured and was more of a stew (no complaints here, it was delicious). Next time, I plan to double the soup portions. A bit too many meatballs for our preferences. But a warm, comforting, delicious soup. Thank you!
Made this recipe with veggie stock, Gardein veggie meatballs and spinach (didn’t have kale on hand). It’s sooooo delicious!! My husband (who isn’t a vegetarian) loved it!
Making again tonight and also bringing some to a friend❤️Soooooooo Felix
Oh my goodness! I wish I had made this sooner. My daughter and I tried this tonight for the first time. It was very easy to make and the flavor is incredible!! We did sub the kale with spinach but holy moly. It. Is. DIVINE! Please do yourself a favor and make this soup. You will not be disappointed.
Very flavorful and so delicious!
Very tasty — like classy SpaghettiO’s in a good way. I used spinach instead of kale (I know it’s good for you but I just don’t like it). Also I would recommend at least doubling the pasta amount.
Delicious! I made it early in the day and we enjoyed a bit for lunch and a nice bowl with dinner served with a crusty loaf of Italian bread. The meatballs were tender and juicy, the broth savory but mild and the pasta was just enough to be fulfilling without taking over the soup. The only thing I did differently was simmer the soup an additional 5 minutes to soften the kale thoroughly (personal preference).
Another great recipe, thanks for sharing!
OMG this is one of the best soups I’ve ever made. Everyone we’ve shared it with raves about it.
I finally made this recipe and it is fantastic! Rich flavor with a light broth enhanced by simmering the meatballs….oh boy are we happy I doubled this! I’ll be sharing this with my elderly mother and her helper as well as having enough for us to enjoy during a football playoff weekend. Thanks for another great recipe – you have never lead me astray.
Any substitute suggestions for the whole milk? We only drink 2% and I can’t find it in me to buy a whole carton of milk for one recipe. Heavy cream maybe?
Whole milk is only 3.25%. You can substitute 2% with no problem. I did and it was great.
Mmm looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to try it! I like to prep hearty soups on Sunday and then refrigerate in portions for my work lunches that week. With pasta in this recipe, will that work well, or will the pasta become too soft?
I’ll bet this would pack well with some Parmesan crackers!
This was amazing and now I have a tasty and easy meatball recipe. My husband said it was the best soup he’s ever had!
My family loved this soup. So delicious and simple! Loved it on a cold, winters night. Highly recommend!!
I used a pound of each meat, subbed spinach for the kale, and doubled the soup portion. This soup was so delicious and my family asked for me to make it again on a cold day. Another win for Damn Delicious at my table.
Absolutely delicious! Perfect for a cold winter night. Hearty and full of amazing flavor. Made the meatballs in the morning before work, finished the rest for dinner and enjoyed tremendously. Will be making again.
Great, hearty soup!!
Amazing and delicious soup. Super easy. I didn’t have kale, so I added what I had on hand, which was carrots. It was delicious. I accompanied with toasted artisan sourdough bread.
I’ve been a huge fan of your recipes for years now. I feel like every single dish of yours that I’ve tried has been added to our monthly cooking rotation. This recipe is no different. Completely spot on. Wonderful flavors. Easy to make. Just. Gorgeous! Will definitely be cooking again.
Thank you Chungah!
Oh wow, is this soup delicious.! Just made a batch using frozen, prepared meatballs and spinach instead of kale, but still mouthwatering. Can hardly wait until lunch tomorrow for leftovers. All your recipes are divine.
Boy oh boy, is this good!! As is every recipe I’ve tried on your website! Because I like creamy soups, I added about 1/4 cup heavy cream at the end. Super fantastico! Thanks for another great recipe!
Really a very delicious recipe. On this day I was pinched for time and so I cut up prepared meatballs – it was still wonderful. Easy and worth it. Great flavor – almost like stew once the pasta goes in. Highly recommend.
Just sent the husband to the store to get everything for this soup! So exciting! 5 Star ⭐️ because everything you create is bomb!!