Meatball Sub Soup

Everything you love about a hearty and classic meatball sub broken down and served as a soup. It’s the perfect cure for the January blues. In this recipe, chunky homemade tomato basil soup is filled with small mozzarella stuffed meatballs and topped with freshly baked Parmesan coated croutons.

Meatball Sub Soup

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Beef – The meatballs are kept simple, using only ground beef rather than using of a combination of beef and pork as I do in other meatball recipes. I bake the meatballs rather than poaching them in the simmering soup so they have a browned exterior.
• Yellow Onion – I use yellow onion in this recipe for its mellow flavor when cooked. These onions with a brownish yellow papery skin are a great all-purpose cooking onion.  
• Mozzarella – The mini meatballs are stuffed with bits of mozzarella and baked before being added to the soup. I use part-skim, also called low-moisture mozzarella in this recipe. Fresh mozzarella has a higher water content and it becomes runny rather than gooey as it melts and waters down the meatballs. 
• Parmesan – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese.
• Bread – I use leftover Italian bread to make croutons for this recipe. Croutons are a great way to use up any stale bread on its way out. The Italian bread can be substituted with another crusty bread like a baguette in this meatball soup recipe.

How to Make Meatball Sub Soup

For the chunky tomato basil soup:

1. Sauté onion and garlic. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Next, add the onion to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Then, add the garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds.
2. Add the tomatoes and broth. Stir in the tomato paste then add the tomatoes and their juices to the pot followed by the basil, and vegetable broth.
3. Simmer the soup. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Mini mozzarella meatballs:

1. Mix the breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a small mixing bowl stir together the breadcrumbs and milk and let set for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the meatballs. Add the beef, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Add the soaked breadcrumbs to the mixture and use your hands to blend.
3. Shape meatballs. Scoop the mixture in rounded tablespoons and roll the mixture into balls. Push a piece of the mozzarella into the center of the mixture, closing the beef around it.
4. Bake the meatballs. Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the garlic croutons:

1. Heat oven. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Toss bread in oil. Toss the cubes of bread in the olive oil until evenly coated. Spread in an even single layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake the croutons. Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Continue to bake until the croutons are crisp and the cheese has melted, about an additional 10 minutes.

For serving:

1. Assemble and serve. Add the cooked mozzarella meatballs to the soup and ladle into soup bowls. Top with the Parmesan croutons, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

• Leaving the soup chunky and forgoing the blender makes for a bit less work.
• In a pinch you can chop up leftover meatballs from another recipe and serve in the soup for a shortcut. This is a great way to repurpose leftovers.
• The elements of this soup like the tomato base, the meatballs and croutons can each be made ahead of time. Simply reheat and assemble just before serving to cut down on prep time.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Beef, Pork & Prosciutto Italian Meatballs
• Garlic Knot Meatball Sliders
• Pasta e Fagioli

Meatball Sub Soup

Print Pin

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Serves 8

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the chunky tomato basil soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mini mozzarella meatballs:

• ¼ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 pound ground beef (80% lean/ 20% fat)
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 ounces low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼” cubes

For the Parmesan croutons:

• 1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1½” cubes
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

For serving:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions:

For the chunky tomato basil soup:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat through. Add the onion to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomato paste then add the tomatoes and their juices to the pot followed by the basil, and vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Mini mozzarella meatballs:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). In a small mixing bowl stir together the breadcrumbs and milk and let set for 10 minutes.
• Add the beef, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Add the soaked breadcrumbs to the mixture and use your hands to blend.
• Scoop the mixture in rounded tablespoons and roll the mixture into balls. Push a piece of the mozzarella into the center of the mixture, closing the beef around it. Place on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

For the garlic croutons:

• Preheat oven to 325ºF (170ºC).
• Toss the cubes of bread in the olive oil until evenly coated. Spread in an even single layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. Continue to bake until the croutons are crisp and the cheese has melted, about an additional 10 minutes.

For serving:

• Add the cooked mozzarella meatballs to the soup and ladle into soup bowls. Top with the Parmesan croutons, a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil.

DID YOU MAKE THIS?

TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings