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    Home » Soups, Stews, and Chilis » Meatball Soup Recipe (Whole30)

    Meatball Soup Recipe (Whole30)

    Oct 1, 2020 · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Meatball Soup Recipe is an easy 30-minute meal for a busy weeknight. Well-seasoned meatballs, root vegetables, and nutritious broth makes this soup a hearty and delicious meal. 

    meatball soup in a white bowl with fresh dill

    This soup is amazingly delicious for being kid-friendly and budget friendly. Using ground turkey or chicken for meatballs and root vegetables to round off this soup - this meal comes together in 30 minutes flat!

    This Whole30 soup was inspired by one of my favorite childhood recipes - the porcupine meatballs. These meatballs have a fun twist on traditional meatballs but with the addition of rice (hence the porcupine). Once the porcupine meatballs were prepared, the extra meat mixture would then be saved for future meatball soup. It was an easy and efficient way to stretch time and money to meal prep for two meals. 

    We love the texture, sustenance and flavor of rice in soup but it's not Paleo nor Whole30. Besides, potatoes bring a rather generous load of carbs in this soup already and I've found that omitting rice all together doesn't compromise the flavor and texture of the soup.

    Likewise, this meatball soup is without pasta, which is somewhat unusual for meatball soup.

    But don't worry - this healthy Meatball Soup recipe is just as delicious.

    Meatball Soup Recipe

    This Meatball Soup loaded with hearty meatballs and chunky potatoes - a perfectly nourishing dinner after a long day.  I appreciate that this soup is quick to make and my boys love that it's packed with ingredients that will soothe their empty bellies.

    Meatball and potato chunk on a spoon over a bowl of meatball soup

    Do I need to cook meatballs before adding them to soup?

    No. Some recipes call for baking the meatballs first but this 30-minute Meatball Soup is just that...30 minutes!

    The key to avoiding having to cook the meatballs prior to adding to soup is to roll the meat into small balls and dropping them straight into the pot of boiling broth. Essentially, you're making small meat dumplings that will cook in the broth.

    How to prevent meatballs from falling apart?

    Sometimes meatballs can crumble when transferred to boiling soup.

    Here are some ways to prevent meatballs from falling apart:

    • consider adding an egg to the meat mixture to serve as a binder
    • something starchy such as tapioca or arrowroot will also help to bind meats and fillers
    • use leaner meats such as chicken or turkey for the soup

    However, the meatball recipe below has enough binding ingredients that there shouldn't be a problem with them falling apart. That's why I love using ground chicken or turkey - it holds up well without the need of an egg and still tender and delicious when cooked.

    Making meatballs to freeze for meatball soup.

    Easy Frozen Meatball Soup Recipe

    To maximize time in the kitchen, I always try to double or sometimes even triple the batch for the meatballs and save them for future meatball soup.  It's like meal prepping without the actual meal prepping. You won't miss the few extra minutes that it takes for that extra batch and you'll be grateful that you did it when hunger strikes.

    To save extra meatballs for future Meatball Soup, simply form them and flash freeze in a baking sheet until frozen solid. Transfer the frozen meatballs to a large freezer bag and save for a future meal.

    If you are using frozen meatballs for the soup, you do need to account for additional time to thoroughly cook the meatballs. For 1-inch round meatballs, 20 minutes should be enough to fully cook.

    How long does it take to cook meatballs in soup?

    Once added to boiling broth, meatballs should take approximately 7-10 minutes to thoroughly cook.

    If using frozen meatballs, be sure to add additional 7-10 minutes on top of that, for a total of 14-20 minutes of cooking time.

    Meatball soup with potatoes, chicken meatballs, carrots and fresh dill

    How to Make Meatball Soup from Scratch

    It's best to prepare the meat mixture first and set it in the refrigerator while working on the other ingredients.

    The tomato sauce in the meatballs adds incredibly flavor and richness. If you don't have tomato sauce, whisk 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or ketchup with 1 tablespoon of water to to sub tomato sauce. Any tomato-based ingredient that has a similar texture and consistency of tomato sauce will work.

    Likewise, the mayonnaise adds that creamy lush and balances the tomato sauce quite well. 

    Finally, a delicious soup wouldn't be as nutritious if it weren't for the nourishing broth. We always prefer using homemade bone broth in soups. Chicken broth is milder in flavor than beef broth and is perfect for this Meatball Soup. However, if out of chicken broth, feel free to sub with beef or vegetable broth.

    To make this easy Meatball Soup easier, here are a few more pointers:

    • Use a small scoop spoon with trigger (this one is ½ tablespoon) to create uniform meatballs. 
    • Keeping your hands slightly wet will help mold them and shape the meatballs to perfect uniformity.
    • Double the meatballs and freeze for a future meatball soup recipe.
    • Experiment with whatever vegetables you have on hand. We love potatoes and carrots but radishes, celeriac, and even brussel sprouts are delicious and would take this soup to GAPS and Keto status. If using softer veggies such as zucchini, be sure to add them towards the end so they retain their texture.
    Meatball soup with potatoes, chicken meatballs, carrots and fresh dill

    Easy Meatball Soup

    Anya @ Prepare & Nourish
    This Meatball Soup Recipe is an easy 30-minute meal for a busy weeknight. Well-seasoned meatballs, root vegetables, and nutritious broth makes this soup a hearty and delicious meal. 
    4.80 from 15 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12 people
    Calories 141 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    For meatballs:

    • 1 lb ground chicken or turkey
    • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
    • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
    • 2 teaspoon powdered garlic
    • 1 teaspoon powdered onion
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt

    For soup:

    • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, butter, or ghee
    • 1 yellow onion diced
    • 1 carrot julienned
    • 2 quarts bone broth
    • 2 russet potatoes peeled & diced

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl, combine all ingredients for meatballs. Mix just enough to combine well but don't overmix. Stick the meat mixture in the refrigerator to chill while working on the next steps.
    • Add oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
    • Add onions and saute until translucent. Add carrots and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until just barely soft.
    • Pour bone broth and add diced potatoes. Close the pot, turn the heat to thigh and bring to a boil.
    • Remove meat mixture from the refrigerator. Spoon and form ½-1" meatballs and set them aside on a large plate.
    • Gently, add meatballs one at a time to the boiling broth, taking care that they do not touch each other.
    • Reduce heat to medium and let cook for additional 7-10 minutes.
    • Turn off heat. Check for salt and pepper and season as needed. Add parsley or dill and enjoy hot.

    Notes

    *One pound of ground meat will make approximately 24 meatballs.
    **If using frozen meatballs, cook for an additional 8-10 minutes to thoroughly cook the meat.
    ***Feel free to add variety of vegetables to the soup. For hardy veggies such as celeriac, add with potatoes. For softer ones (i.e. zucchini) save them towards the end.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 303mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 860IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
    Nutrition Information
    The information shown is an estimate provided for your convenience by an online calculator. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our complete Nutritional Information Disclaimer.
    Keyword budget friendly, Dairy-free, kid friendly,, Nut-free, one-pot/pan, paleo, primal, quick & easy,, whole30
    ©Prepare and Nourish • Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated but please do NOT screenshot or copy/paste complete recipes to websites or social media.
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Mention @prepareandnourish and be sure to tag #prepareandnourish!


    If you liked the recipe above, please consider rating the recipe and leaving a comment below ⇓. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

    Other Whole30 Soups

    Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
    Low Carb Hamburger Soup
    Instant Pot Pumpkin Turkey Chili
    Keto Egg Drop Soup
    Easy Nourishing Fish Soup

    >>>Pin This <<<

    easy Meatball soup in only 30 minutes
    This post was originally published January 2016 but has since been updated to include helpful information.

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    About Anya

    Sharing wholesome recipes using seasonal ingredients and simplified methods since 2014. My hope is you'll feel right at home in this online kitchen, where you'll find real food recipes for real families.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says

      January 30, 2016 at 4:44 am

      Oh, meatballs make me do the happy dance and meatballs in soup make me delirious! Great recipe!

      Reply
    2. Marla says

      January 31, 2016 at 4:36 am

      Hi Anya,
      Wow this sounds and looks tasty. Soup is always such a welcome meal on a cold Winter's day.

      Reply
    3. Anya says

      February 07, 2016 at 12:51 pm

      Thank you for visiting Joy. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Miz Helen says

      February 08, 2016 at 7:37 am

      Your Meatball Soup looks fantastic!

      Reply
    5. Anya says

      February 09, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      Thank you Jennifer. 🙂

      Reply
    6. Anya says

      February 09, 2016 at 6:43 pm

      Thank you Deborah. You always have such sweet words to share. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
    7. Sherry says

      February 10, 2016 at 2:02 pm

      Your soup looks wonderfully delicious!

      Reply
    8. Rachel says

      March 03, 2016 at 8:19 am

      My husband's going to love this. Might need to test it on him tonight or this weekend!

      Reply
    9. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says

      March 03, 2016 at 10:10 am

      Such a lovely, simple + nourishing soup. Looks beautiful and delicious!

      Reply
    10. linda spiker says

      March 03, 2016 at 11:38 am

      Pinned! My husband would love this!

      Reply
    11. Elaina says

      March 03, 2016 at 12:52 pm

      This looks super yummy! I've never heard of adding mayo to meatballs before. Interesting!

      Reply
    12. Jolene @ Yummy Inspirations says

      March 03, 2016 at 1:12 pm

      Looks so delicious and hearty. 🙂

      Reply
    13. The Food Hunter says

      March 03, 2016 at 2:07 pm

      I love how easy and delicious this is

      Reply
    14. Tash says

      March 03, 2016 at 3:50 pm

      This looks so amazing! I love meatball soups and often make a turkish kafta soup when the craving set in. Definitely going to have to try this one out!

      Reply
    15. Renee Kohley says

      March 03, 2016 at 5:22 pm

      Lovely soup! So nourishing and comforting and satisfying! My kids loooove anything with a meatball too!

      Reply
    16. Krystal says

      March 04, 2016 at 8:16 am

      This recipe looks great! I'll be making a double batch for sure. The meatballs would be perfect with pasta for a quick and easy weeknight supper.

      Reply
    17. Beth says

      October 19, 2020 at 1:45 pm

      Going to try it but your instructions repeat and seem to be outbid order...

      Reply
      • Anya says

        October 21, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Hi Beth,
        Thanks for letting me know - all fixed!

        Reply

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