There are only a few soups that are great to make and to enjoy all year round. This delicious (Italian) Tomato Soup with Pasta & Meatballs is definitely one of these soups. It is simple, delicious and a great dish to cook in summer and winter. I have to admit there is a lot going on in this soup – veggies, plenty of meat and a lot of pasta. With all of that you will still not feel stuffed at the end. No need to take a break on the sofa for an hour… unless you want to ;P Other hearty winter soups often require a time-out because they are so rich and heavy on the stomach… not this one ;)
There is a reason why the »Italian« is in brackets here. The soup is actually not really an Italian dish. At least not 100% I’d say. It’s more or less an Americanized version of an Italian dish. I think that description is more accurate ;) Pretty much like the spaghetti with meatballs the two dogs eat in »Lady and the Tramp«. Looks like an Italian dish, tastes like an Italian dish, but it’s actually an American dish made by Italians for Americans. Yeah… I think that’s the best way to describe it ;P
Even though the soup and the spaghetti with meatballs might not be traditional Italian dishes – both are extremely delicious. You can’t deny that. THB – there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from one country’s cuisine and creating something new, right? This type of soup is quite popular in the US and often served in restaurants that have Italian dishes on the menu – original Italian dishes and the ones that are »inspired by…«. I don’t mean this in a bad way… so don’t come for me in the comments or on social media ;P
From what I know about Italian soups – which isn’t all that much, unfortunately – this soup here is probably the closest thing to an Italian wedding soup. At least in terms of pasta and meatballs added to the soup. The rest isn’t really similar ;)
Anyway. The soup is very tasty, no matter what. A well spiced tomato soup with vegetables, pasta and juicy meatballs. The combination is just terrific. If you look at the ingredients you will notice there is a similarity to a classic Bolognese… well, except for the added meat, of course. Instead of it being crumbled and cooked with the sauce it’s added later as meatballs ;)
Note: The recipe tells you to cook the meatballs in a frying pan. A method that is absolutely ok, but if you adjust the preparation method slightly, you will get even more flavor into the soup. To do this, simply fry/cook the meatballs with a little less oil in the large pot you’re gonna use for the soup. Cooking the meatballs in there instead of a separate pan will keep all the roasting flavors in the pot and ultimately in the soup. Make sure not to use too much oil and avoid burning anything… that would also stay in the soup in the end ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(5-6 servings)
For the meatballs:
some oil for frying
17.6 oz. (500g) ground meat (beef & pork mixed)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 oz. (30g) bread crumbs
0.7 oz. (20g) Parmesan, finely grated
1 medium egg
salt, pepper
For the soup:
some oil for frying
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced finely
2 celery stalks, diced finely
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 can (14 oz. /400g) chunky tomatoes
24 oz. (680g) tomato passata
4 cups (1l) vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt, pepper
7 oz. (200g) short pasta (e.g. Ditalini*)
some chopped fresh parsley
some grated Parmesan
(5-6 Portionen)
Für die Fleischbällchen:
etwas Öl zum Anbraten
500g gemischtes Hackfleisch
1 kleine Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
1 Knoblauchzehe, fein gewürfelt
1 EL frische Petersilie, gehackt
1 TL Oregano (getrocknet)
30g Semmelbrösel
20g Parmesan, fein gerieben
1 Ei (M)
Salz, Pfeffer
Für die Suppe:
etwas Öl zum Anbraten
1 große Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
2 Knoblauchzehen, fein gewürfelt
2 Stangen Stangensellerie, fein gewürfelt
2 mittelgroße Karotten, in Scheiben geschnitten
1 Dose (400g) stückige Tomaten
1 Flasche (680g) Tomatenpassata
1l Gemüsebrühe
1 TL italienische Kräuter (getrocknet)
1 TL Oregano (getrocknet)
Salz, Pfeffer
200 kurze Nudeln (z.B. Ditalini*)
etwas frische gehackte Petersilie
etwas geriebener Parmesan
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Start with the meatballs. Peel the onion and garlic and dice finely. Heat up a frying pan with some oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Let cool down a bit.
2. Add the ground meat to the bowl, as well as the chopped parsley, dried oregano, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, and egg. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then make small (bit smaller than walnuts) meatballs out of the mixture.
3. Heat up the frying pan again with some more oil and fry the meatballs in several batches until nicely browned from all sides – takes about 3-5 minutes per batch. Take out and let drain on a piece of kitchen paper.
4. Prepare the rest of the veggies for the soup. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Clean the celery and carrots and dice/cut into slices. Heat up a large (cast iron) pot with some oil, add the diced onion, and sauté until soft and glossy. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are a bit softer. Add the chunky tomatoes, tomato passata, veggie broth, Italian herbs, and oregano. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and pasta and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is “al dente”. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed and serve with some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.
1. Mit den Fleischbällchen anfangen. Dafür die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln/hacken. Eine große Pfanne mit etwas Öl erhitzen und die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch darin glasig anschwitzen. Wenn die Zwiebel weich ist, vom Herd ziehen und in eine Schüssel umfüllen. Etwas abkühlen lassen.
2. Das Hackfleisch zur Schüssel dazugeben, ebenso die gehackte Petersilie, Oregano, Semmelbrösel, Parmesan und das Ei. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und alles gut vermengen. Die Mischung etwa 10 Minuten ruhen lassen, dann aus der Masse kleine Fleischbällchen formen (etwas kleiner als Walnüsse).
3. Die Pfanne erneut mit etwas Öl erhitzen und die Frikadellen dann in mehreren Durchgängen scharf anbraten – dauert etwa 3-5 Minuten pro Durchgang. Die schön gebräunten Fleischbällchen aus der Pfanne nehmen und auf einem Stück Küchenpapier abtropfen lassen.
4. Das restliche Gemüse für die Suppe vorbereiten. Die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein würfeln. Selleriestangen und Karotten säubern und in Würfel bzw. dünne Scheiben schneiden. Einen großen (gusseisernen) Topf mit etwas Öl erhitzen, die Zwiebelwürfel dazugeben und glasig andünsten. Knoblauch, Sellerie und Karotten dazugeben und etwa 4-5 Minuten mit anbraten, bis das Gemüse weicher geworden ist. Die stückigen Tomaten, Tomatenpassata, Gemüsebrühe, Kräuter und Oregano dazugeben. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und alles einmal aufkochen lassen. Die Fleischbällchen und die Nudeln in den Topf dazugeben und alles bei reduzierter Hitzezufuhr etwa 10 Minuten köcheln lassen, bis die Nudeln bissfest sind. Bei Bedarf noch einmal mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann mit gehackter Petersilie und geriebenem Parmesan servieren.
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Italian Pasta & Meatball Tomato Soup
- Prep Time: 00:25
- Cook Time: 00:35
- Total Time: 01:20
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Italy
Description
A delicious Italian tomato soup for all fans of pasta and meatballs – enough to feed a large family or maybe for your next party with friends :)
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
some oil for frying
17.6 oz. (500g) ground meat (beef & pork mixed)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 oz. (30g) bread crumbs
0.7 oz. (20g) Parmesan, finely grated
1 medium egg
salt, pepper
For the soup:
some oil for frying
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced finely
2 celery stalks, diced finely
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 can (14 oz. /400g) chunky tomatoes
24 oz. (680g) tomato passata
4 cups (1l) vegetable broth
1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt, pepper
7 oz. (200g) short pasta (e.g. Ditalini*)
some chopped fresh parsley
some grated Parmesan
Instructions
1. Start with the meatballs. Peel the onion and garlic and dice finely. Heat up a frying pan with some oil and sauté the onion and garlic until soft and glossy. Remove from the heat and add to a bowl. Let cool down a bit.
2. Add the ground meat to the bowl, as well as the chopped parsley, dried oregano, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, and egg. Season well with salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then make small (bit smaller than walnuts) meatballs out of the mixture.
3. Heat up the frying pan again with some more oil and fry the meatballs in several batches until nicely browned from all sides – takes about 3-5 minutes per batch. Take out and let drain on a piece of kitchen paper.
4. Prepare the rest of the veggies for the soup. Peel and dice the onion and garlic finely. Clean the celery and carrots and dice/cut into slices. Heat up a large (cast iron) pot with some oil, add the diced onion, and sauté until soft and glossy. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and continue cooking for 4-5 minutes until the veggies are a bit softer. Add the chunky tomatoes, tomato passata, veggie broth, Italian herbs, and oregano. Season well with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and pasta and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is “al dente”. Season with some more salt and pepper if needed and serve with some chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.
Notes
Happy Cooking!
Links marked with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links (advertising/Werbung) to Amazon Germany. If you click on one of those links and buy something via this link, I will get a commission for that sale. The price of whatever you buy is not affected in any way by this.
