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Mom’s Classic Meatball Soup is loaded with vegetables, rice and my quick homemade meatballs. Cooked in under 30 minutes, this recipe will become your new wintertime go-to!

bowl of meatball soup in a bowl

Meatball soup was one of my mother’s signature dishes. To feed her small army of children and hungry husband, she would make a giant pot of this soup and let us come back and serve ourselves until we had our fill. If there is anything that represents a Ukrainian household more than a pot of soup, it’s having a large family to feed it to!

Some of Mom’s Other Signature Soups:

Making Meatballs for the Meatball Soup

Making meatballs might sound daunting to you. But, for this recipe, all you need to do is combine a few ingredients together, form them and pop them straight into the boiling soup! There is no need to pre-cook or fry the meatballs at all.

Ingredients for the meatball soup

Tips for Making the Meatball Soup

  • If you want to go a bit healthier, opt for brown rice instead of white. It will work just as great!
  • Feel free to exchange the rice for noodles if you like. Egg noodles are my favorite. Just make sure you don’t add them to the pot too early and overcook them. Add them in last and cook them until they are al dente!

Note: Noodles absorb a ton of liquid. If you store leftovers in the fridge, you might wake up to find that your noodles have sucked up all your broth! When you’re ready to reheat, add more broth to the meatball soup and reheat in a saucepan over medium-heat.

  • Add in some extra veggies to the mix. If you have some greens you need to use, don’t let them go to waste! Kale, cabbage shreds, celery and corn are great additions.
  • Fresh herbs take this soup to the next level. I love using chopped parsley and green onions. But, if you have dill or basil on hand they work great too!
  • Love making soup, but hate storing a ton of cans of broth in your pantry? Try using a broth concentrate instead! My favorite is the Better Than Bouillon brand. It comes in a ton of different flavors and takes up a fraction of the space.
bowl of meatball soup in a bowl

Meatball Soup Variations

You can switch things up and change the flavor profile of this soup by using different meats to make your meatballs. Here are some of my favorite variations:

  • Italian ground sausage makes awesome meatballs. Typically pork-based and mixed with garlic and herbs, it will add a nice earthy, Italian flavor to the soup. See if your local butcher carries it bulk-style.
  • Use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork or turkey if you want a more savory and dense meat ball.
  • Ground turkey is my personal favorite. I like its lightness and simplicity!

If you Can’t Get Enough Meat Ball Soup, Try These

  • Meatball Kale Soup Recipe – This hearty soup is chock-full of ultra-healthy kale, chunks of potatoes and large meatballs! It’s perfect for a rainy day.
  • Tomato Lentil Soup with Meatballs– Lentils and meatballs are married together with a delicious fire-roasted tomato broth. Make sure you have a big hunk of bread to sop up the broth with!

Recipe

bowl of meatball soup in a bowl

Easy Mom’s Meatball Soup

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Servings
10 servings
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Mom’s Classic Meatball Soup is loaded with vegetables, rice and my quick homemade meatballs. Cooked in under 30 minutes, this recipe will become your new wintertime go-to!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tbsp salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 medium onion diced in small cubes
  • 2 medium carrots grated
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 medium potatoes
  • 1/2 cup rice
  • 2 tbsp green onions diced
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley diced
  • 1 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp salt (to taste)
US Units – Metric

Instructions

Making Meat Balls For the Soup

  • Combine together ground meat, salt, pepper, and an egg.
    ground meat and egg in a bowl
  • Using the meat mixture, form round shapes. You can use a small ice cream school to help achieve more even results.
    Meatballs on a plate

Mom's Meatball Soup

  • Sautée grated carrots and diced onions with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Sautée until the vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes) and set them aside.
    skillet with onions and carrots
  • Place a cooking pot with 4 quarts of water on high heat. Add potatoes, rice and sauteed ingredients to the pot. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
    pot with soup cookng
  • Once it's boiling, one by one, add meatballs into the water. Make sure that the water is boiling at all times, otherwise the meatballs will fall apart. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and let it cook for 15 minutes.
    Meatballs in the soup
  • Add green onions and parsley to the meatball soup. Let it all cook for another 15 minutes. Serve soup right away or reheat before serving.
    bowl of meatball soup in a bowl
Nutrition Facts
Easy Mom's Meatball Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 161 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 1092mg46%
Potassium 466mg13%
Carbohydrates 17g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 14g28%
Vitamin A 2149IU43%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted September 30, 2019

About Author

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Natalya Drozhzhin

Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.