Italian Meatball Soup

Soup. Ah, I love soup. I love that it can be cooked in one pot. I love that it comes together so quickly. Soup never fails to make my house smell divine and oh, mama does it taste good.

Meatball soup is so delicious. It’s filling and meaty which Luke loves. Soup is sometimes a hard sell for Luke. He worries it wont fill him up. I’ve mentioned he eats a lot, right? Of course I have.  When I tell him meatball soup is on the menu I receive no complaints. Actually I get praise. And lots of it.

And for all the praise I get what does Luke get? A full belly and delicious meal.

Meatball soup is easy. I promise. Meatballs are easy. Do not be intimidated. I repeat, easy peasy.

I like to double meatball recipe below when making this soup. I then freeze half of the meatballs to have on hand to through into baked pasta dishes or for the next time I want to make a pot of meatball soup. Make sure you serve this soup with hearty bread. The bread in the picture above is one of the Garlic Parsley Knots I made in the bread challenge.

Italian Meatball Soup

Meatball Ingredients
1 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoons Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cloves garlic

Soup Ingredients
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups spinach, packed
1 can diced tomato
2 cans beef broth
1 can cannellini beans
1 pound bite sized meatballs (about 45-50)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Using hands mix ground beef, Parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, oats, tomato paste, and garlic in a bowl. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of mixture into balls. Meatballs should be bite sized. Bake for about 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160.

While meatballs cook saute onion and garlic over medium high heat in a large pot until fragrant. Add spinach to pot and saute until wilted. Add tomato, broth, beans and Italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Add meatballs to the soup mixture and heat until the soup is hot. Serve warm with crusty bread for dipping.