I’ve been really into making soups on Sundays lately because, I don’t know, it just kind of feels right. What can I say – a big pot of something warm & bubbly simmering on the stove all afternoon, leaving enough leftovers for lunches all week really does it for me. ;)
This week I modified my recipe for Spicy Tomato & Turkey Soup with Ditalini, and made Spaghetti & Meatball Soup.
I almost couldn’t handle the preciousness of this bowl of soup. I mean, mini meatballs floating amongst tiny spaghetti noodles? Too. Freaking. Cute!
Start the Spaghetti & Meatball Soup by shredding carrots, zucchini and onion, and sauteing them in a big soup pot. You don’t have to add veggies to this soup, but I thought they’d be good to bulk it up, and it’s a really easy way to get them into your diet.
Oh, I forgot to mention I shredded the veggies up in THIS! The new 14 Cup Cuisinart Food Processor Ben got me for Christmas. It’s my pride and joy!
After the veggies are soft, add chicken broth and marinara sauce to the pot, and bring it to a boil.
I used local Gino’s Marinara Sauce. It’s amore.
Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, red chili pepper flakes, and the star of the dish, mini meatballs.
My local grocery stores carry locally made Graziano’s mini meatballs, which are fantastic.
Finally, add cut spaghetti, or any small pasta, and simmer until cooked.
Squee!
Spaghetti and Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large carrots or 10 mini carrots shredded
- 1 small zucchini shredded
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- salt and pepper
- 42 oz low-sodium chicken broth
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes optional
- 1 lb prepared mini meatballs
- 1 cup dry spaghetti broken into small pieces
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat then add carrots, zucchini, and onions, season with salt and pepper, and saute until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic then saute until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red chili pepper flakes then turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, add meatballs and pasta then stir to combine. Turn heat back down to medium then simmer until pasta is tender. Ladle into bowls then serve.
This was fantastic! Gino’s is a little spicy, so the soup had a nice kick, and the mini meatballs and petite spaghetti noodles just made it fun. I kind of felt like a giant, or something?
Since the carrots and zucchini were shredded, and were the same size as the noodles, I felt like I was getting to eat triple the amount of pasta too. It was awesome. Definitely make this!!!
My family LOVES this soup. I love that it makes enough for 3 meals and my kids actually eat the veggies in it. I usually cant find mini meatballs so I just brown up some ground turkey meat to use instead.
I made this for dinner. It’s a very simple recipe with great flavor. My kids didn’t even realize there were veggies in the broth. I will definitely make this again. Thank you.
[…] Spaghetti and Meatball Soup […]