Spaghetti and Meatball Soup is a quick, fun, and easy spin on the classic plated dinner. Comforting and packed with veggies!
I love making soups on Sundays, especially, not only because it’s a healthy, hearty, and wholesome way to close out the weekend, but also because reheating leftovers for lunch all week is super convenient.
My latest soup Sunday obsession is Spaghetti & Meatball Soup. Think the diner classic in soup form plus TONS of hidden veggies.
Can you say upgrade?!
Not only is this soup packed with flavor, but it’s FUN to eat. Spaghetti and meatballs in soup form? Total hit with kids and kids at heart!
Start by sauting shredded carrots, zucchini and onion in a large soup pot with extra virgin olive oil until tender. You can shred the vegetables using a box grater, or by using the shredding blade on your food processor.
After the veggies are soft, add chicken broth and jarred marinara sauce then bring it to a boil.
Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, red chili pepper flakes, and mini meatballs. I recommend making my pork mini meatballs using ground beef instead of ground pork. Or you can use regular-sized gluten free prepared meatballs instead.
Last step is to add spaghetti that’s been snapped into small pieces (or any small cut pasta) then simmer until tender.
SO GOOD!
Since the carrots and zucchini are shredded, and are roughly the same size as the noodles, you really don’t realize you’re eating vegetables. It almost feels like you get to eat triple the amount of pasta, which is a win.
I hope you enjoy this fun, delicious, and easy soup recipe!
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 yellow 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 spaghetti, broken into small pieces
Directions
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat then add carrots, zucchini, and onions, season with salt and pepper, then saute until tender, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic then saute until very fragrant, 1 minute.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
It looks like an amped up, adult version of spaghetti o’s [not say adults can’t eat the childhood fave] ;) I saw that recipe or a similar one on Pinterest and pinned it- def planning to make it! Great idea adding some shredded veggies to bulk it up… I’ve never seen mini meatballs in my grocery stores- I wonder if I used bigger ones and cut them up, if they would hold their shape or crumble?
I’m sure they’d be totally fine!
For me, it’s definitely my Griddler. I blame you for that–I had to have one after you raved about it, and it’s totally my fav now!
I agree about The Help. I wish they had talked more about Skeeter’s relationship, too. They just kind of left it like he was a total jerk, which wasn’t the whole story, ya know? I watched Friends with Benefits and it was really cute! One of those, eh, this might be really dumb movies that pleasantly surprised me!
I made this soup today after reading your feature last week. It was so easy and SO good. In fact, I was telling my husband that there were several variations we could do and here you’ve beaten me to the punch. I normally make homemade broth soups on the weekend since they take so long to simmer but I loved how easy this recipe was!
I also love my cuisinart food processor. In fact, my husband used it today to make Pioneer Woman’s Mexican Restaurant salsa – another must try!
My cornflower blue Kitchenaid Electric Mixer – though I’ve just gotten it, I’m absolutely smitten! So much baking left to do!
I love my Kitchenaid Electric Mixer too! Mine is red! I use it for everything, ice cream, cookies, pancakes, pizza dough and even corn bread. Soup looks delicious, I’ve never thought about marinara in soup, great idea!
I got a Cuisinart for a wedding gift…25+ years ago. It has been a great workhorse in my kitchen.
I think mine would have to be my crock pot…it is hands down the most used thing we registered for, I must use it once a week, I love it! A close second would be my food processor, it just makes things so easy. We got a kitchenaid mixer for Christmas, so by next year it might take the cake :)!
The Help was phenomenal! I loved it so much. Hangover 2 though? It grosssedd me ouuuut BIG time.
My boyfriend gave me a food processor for Christmas too! It’s my first one and I’ve been using it ever since :)
We love watching movies in front of the fire….so fun!
We also do Soup Supper Sundays ’round here. I’m adding this in for later this month, using Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs. They are not mini, though, so I won’t feel like a giant. :-(
Oh, and I guess my favorite kitchen gadget is the Pampered Chef food chopper. Since I had my babies I’ve been super sensitive to onions and can’t chop them by hand anymore. So it’s the perfect solution!
I have one of those choppers too! I like how easy it is to use and clean!
What Hy-Vee did you get the meatballs at? I want to make your Wedding Soup this week!
I’ve gotten them at 74th, Mills and 35th street before!
Ohhh, that blanket nest and movie night looks fantastic :-) My boyfriend is just getting back from a trip to Colorado today, so we may have to do the same thing if we can find some movies we agree on.
Your soup recipe looks delish! I’m adding it to my list of things to try.
Hi, I just reading your blog on Friday and have already made 3 recipes from it! Thanks for all the ideas.
My must-have kitchen tool is a simple one – it’s those little plastic scrapers you get with Pampered Chef stoneware. Love all my stoneware, I don’t even use metal or glass pans anymore.
But those little scrapers are so handy on all dishes for cleaning up dishes but also scraping away flour from counters if I have a dough recipe that I had to knead.