Mini Meatball Soup with Pasta and White Beans
Inspired by Italian Wedding Soup. This broth-y soup is extra cozy and comforting. It includes tender mini Italian sausage meatballs, chewy ditalini pasta, soft white beans, and kale.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 lb Ground Italian Pork Sausage I used sweet Italian Sausage but can also use hot
- 3 tablespoon Italian Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 Egg beaten
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese freshly grated; additional to serve
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried Sage
- 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes more or less to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Soup
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion diced
- 1/2 cup Carrots diced
- 1/2 cup Celery diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes more or less to taste
- 4 cups Unsalted Chicken Bone Broth can also use chicken broth or chicken stock
- 2 cups Water or additional broth
- 15 oz White Beans I used one can of Great Northern Beans; don't drain or rinse
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 cup Ditalini Pasta or a small shape like elbow macaroni or small shells
- 2 oz Kale I used a couple handfuls
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice additional to serve
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to taste
- Parmesan Cheese to serve
Instructions
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare baking sheet. Line sheet with aluminum foil and place oven-proof wire rack over top. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add all meatball ingredients to a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands until combined. Roll into about 3/4 inch meatballs. You should have about 25 meatballs. *See Note
- Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside for later.
Soup
- Meanwhile, start the soup. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, stir, and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the chicken bone broth, water, can of white beans, bay leaf, and salt & black pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle boil.
- Once boiling, add the ditalini pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes until the pasta is almost cooked through, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the meatballs and kale. Cook for another 3 minutes to allow the kale to wilt. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Taste the soup and add salt and black pepper as needed.
- Divide among bowls to serve. Top with additional lemon juice, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and black pepper as desired.
Video
Notes
*Note: You can double the meatball recipe and save half of the meatballs for another recipe such as spaghetti and meatballs. That's what I always do!
Serving Suggestions: I recommend serving with crusty bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 620kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 832mg | Potassium: 1160mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4458IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 6mg
