Italian Meatball and Gnocchi Soup
Homemade meatballs, fresh vegetables, and tender gnocchi are the stars of the show in this bowl of ultimate comfort food, Italian Meatball and Gnocchi Soup!
I can’t be the only person that loves fall. Lighting candles, baking, eating soup, what’s not to love! That’s why I’ve been busy in the kitchen creating some fabulous comfort foods like this Italian Meatball and Gnocchi Soup!
There are a million things that I love about this soup, however, let’s just talk about meatballs for a second.
I’m not talking about some ordinary, mushy or boring meatballs. I’m talking about super flavorful, perfectly textured meatballs that are exploding with flavor from the Italian sausage, ground beef, garlic, parsley, and parmesan. They are to die for!
I followed my recipe for The Best Italian Meatballs, but made them about half their regular size for this soup.
Another wonderful thing about this soup – my kids love it!
I’m sure you know how hard it can be to get everyone on board with what’s for dinner, so I was elated when my 7-year-old licked the bowl clean. FYI: plate licking is usually reserved for bacon & eggs!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Butter
- Carrot
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- The Best Italian Meatballs
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Beef stock
- Water
- Gnocchi
- Dried thyme, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, pepper
- Garnish: fresh parsley, parmesan cheese
How to make Italian Meatball and Gnocchi Soup
- Start off by sautéing the fresh vegetables in some butter. After the veggies have softened a little bit, we add the liquids, diced tomatoes, some thyme and other seasonings, and then we have a choice to make.
- Do we want soft and tender meatballs by having them cook in the soup, or more firm meatballs that have a great texture from being baked first? If you go with the former, you’ll save time (about 20 minutes). I’ve made this recipe trying both methods and I have to say that while it’s delicious both ways, I do prefer the latter. The “crust” the bottom of the meatballs get from cooking on a baking sheet is totally worth the extra time!
- About 20 minutes before it’s served, add a package of potato gnocchi that will become soft, slightly doughy pillows in the soup. Garnish with Italian parsley and shredded parmesan cheese. Perfection.
Now grab a spoon and break off a piece of meatball that’s been simmering with vegetables in a broth that has a touch of richness from the butter and perfect little clouds of gnocchi.
How to serve this meatball soup:
Serve with some garlic bread or French bread for the ultimate bowl of comfort food.
I also like to sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley when it’s served.
Looking for more soup recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Broccoli Potato Soup
- Perfect Steak Chili
- Slow Cooker Sausage Chickpea Soup
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup (shown below)
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
NOTES:
- While you could simplify this recipe by using store-bought, processed meatballs, please don’t. They don’t compare to these homemade meatballs that are totally worth the time you spent preparing them. Promise.
- I have gotten gnocchi from several different stores and they are not created equally. I used a package of gnocchi from Trader Joe’s for this recipe and loved them.
Italian Meatball and Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 batch of The Best Italian Meatballs (link in post) rolled into 1 1/2" balls (about 30-35 meatballs) NOTE: For softer meatballs, leave raw they'll cook in the soup. For firmer meatballs, bake for 20 minutes @400° then set aside
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 pinches dried thyme rolled between your hands
- salt & pepper
- pinch dried oregano
- 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes (don't drain)
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef stock
- 5 cups of water
- 1 bay leaf
- 17 oz. package of gnocchi
- Italian parsley chopped (garnish)
- Shredded parmesan garnish
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, sauté carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in butter until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper to the vegetables and sauté for a minute or two to let their flavors bloom in the butter.
- Add to the dutch oven: beef stock, water, can of diced tomatoes (with juices), and tomato sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Add a bay leaf and turn up the heat to high. Once the soup has started to boil, add the meatballs. Cook on medium-high for about 30 minutes for raw meatballs or 10-15 minutes for baked meatballs. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for an additional 15-30 minutes then add the gnocchi and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish soup with fresh Italian parsley and shredded parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Rate it and let me know in the comments below! ♥
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Delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!