Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of hot soup on a cold day? Well, this Meatball Tomato Soup with Pasta and Basil, filled with tender, moist, bite-sized sausage meatballs will keep you as warm as summer on the coldest day!
I confess, I’m a meatball lover. I like them in every variation, but especially in soups. I remember the first time I made this, Jamie had worked long hours outside on a very cold and wet fall day, I don’t think I could have come up with a better supper idea! I was the hero of the day! And I had no trouble convincing Chloé to have soup that night either: meatballs + pasta + parmesan = easy sell! I just love soup as a main dish, I find it’s an easy, light and satisfying meal. This one is topped with sour cream, parmesan and fresh basil for extra flavor. I like to serve it with a Basil Parmesan Garlic Bread (a fun twist on just plain garlic bread) and, I’m telling you, the bread in combination with the soup makes this the absolute comfort food meal.
Make a big batch, it freezes so easy.
If you love meatballs, also try my Swedish Meatballs recipe!
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 3-4 large garlic cloves, crushed
- Pinch of pepper flakes
- 3 celery stalks, very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh celery leaves (use the pale inner leaves)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can (708 ml) chopped tomatoes
- 1L (4 cups) chicken broth
- Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn, plus extra to serve
- 2 medium mild italian sausages
- 350g ground pork
- ½ cup parmesan, grated
- ⅓ cup ditali pasta (small short pasta tubes)
- Sour cream (loosened with a little milk)
- Grated parmesan and basil leaves to serve
- Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes, add garlic, chili flakes and celeri and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add tomato paste, stir well, then add tomato can, chicken broth and basil.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer , uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove casing from sausages and put meat in a medium bowl. Add the ground pork and parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Wet your hands and roll mixture into bite-sized meatballs.
- Heat remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, cook the meatballs until golden, about 7-8 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain on paper towel.
- Let soup cool for about 5 minutes. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. If soup seem too thick, add some chicken broth.
- While the soup is cooling, cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain.
- Once soup has been blended, return soup to pot and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add meatballs and pasta to soup.
- Divide soup among bowls, drizzle with a spoonfull of sour cream, sprinke parmesan and extra basil on top.
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