Hearty Meatball Soup

This hearty soup has tender meatballs and small pasta in a lemony bright broth. It is comforting, cozy, made in one pot, and ready in 30 minutes.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Greek, International

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Servings

Calories 789kcal

Add the fresh basil, spearmint, parsley, garlic, one onion, and half of the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until everything is finely chopped.
In a medium bowl, add the ground meat, ½ cup grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, herb, garlic, onion mix, cumin, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and two teaspoons of sea salt. Gently combine without squeezing too hard or overworking the meat.
Lightly wet your palms and shape the meat into small balls, about 1½ inches.
Heat the remaining oil in a large Dutch oven or wide pot over medium until shimmering. Add three or four meatballs and brown them on all sides for two-three minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat the process until all meatballs are browned.
Add the other diced onion, season with salt, and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot for any meatball residue stuck on the bottom.
Add the meatballs and pour the broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain an active simmer—season with sea salt to taste. Cook, gently stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are cooked, about eight to ten minutes.
Stir in the grated parmesan and the pasta. Cook, gently stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked.
Follow the package instructions for pasta cooking time.
Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
Spoon into bowls, and top with fresh herbs and red pepper flakes. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread.

Ground beef and pork. You can also use ground turkey. Due to its higher moisture content you might need to add more breadcrumbs and parmesan in the meat mixture so to make the meatballs hold their shape better. It helps to refrigerate meatballs for 30 minutes before browning.
Parmesan. A good substitute is grated pecorino romano.
Sourdough breadcrumbs. I make my own in my food processor from leftover sourdough bread. I don't over-process them; I like a chunkier breadcrumb. Feel free to use store-bought if you prefer. Avoid preseasoned breadcrumbs. They have too much salt.
Fresh herbs. In lew of fresh herbs use their dried versions.
Soup pasta. Feel free to use the pasta shape of your choice. Adjust cooking time according to instructions.

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.