Meatball Soup

ground meat

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Turkey is leaner, while pork is often less expensive.

vegetable broth

🥗Healthier: homemade vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with seasonings

Homemade broth is healthier, while water with seasonings is budget-friendly.

Combine the whisked egg and heavy cream in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and stir for 1-2 minutes to form a paste. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the ground beef and ground pork and gently combine.

Roll the meat into 1-inch balls.

Heat the olive oil in a 4 ½ quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes, add a splash of olive oil throughout cooking and decrease heat slightly as needed. The inside of the meatballs will finish cooking in the soup.

Remove the meatballs and set aside.

Place the diced tomatoes in a large bowl and use an immersion blender to blend it to your desired texture. Set aside.

Melt the butter in the same soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Add the peppers and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.

Add in the chicken broth, beef broth, and tomatoes.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Stir the soup and bring it to a gentle boil. Add the meatballs and the pasta and cook until pasta is cooked through.

Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.

Transfer to serving bowls and top with ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary