Meatball Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep meatballs from falling apart in soup? ›

Add a lightly beaten egg, but not too much. Egg acts as a binder for the ingredients, but you only need a small amount. One small egg will do for one pound of minced meat. Alternatively, if you're following an egg-free diet, you could soak fresh bread in milk, squeezing out any excess milk, to use as a binder.

A simple soup base is made with sautéed onions, garlic, broth, and tomatoes. Into the bubbling soup you drop meatballs made with ground beef or ground turkey and rice. The meat creates its own additional broth. Carrots, green beans, and peas are also usually added to the soup.

Origin. The term wedding soup comes from a mistranslation of the Italian language phrase minestra maritata ('married soup'). Minestra maritata more directly translates to 'wedded broths'. The marriage of its meats and veggies inside of its broth is the only matrimony relevant in this context.

Brown the meatballs: Before adding the meatballs into the soup, brown them in a medium-hot pan with a little oil. This creates a sear on the meatballs, keeping the outside bound together. Simmer, don't boil: A simmer is all we need to cook these Italian meatballs in.

Egg and breadcrumbs are common mix-ins to add moisture and tenderness. Another binder option that people swear by is a panade, which is fresh or dry breadcrumbs that have been soaked in milk. “The soaked breadcrumbs help keep the proteins in the meat from shrinking,” as food writer Tara Holland explained in the Kitchn.

Minestrone is a classic Italian soup known worldwide as one of the best Italian soups. It's got a flavorful broth and a variety of slow-cooked vegetables like potatoes, peas, and carrots. Adding Italian sausage gives it a kick of flavor and a shot of protein, so it's a complete meal all by itself.

Italian-style meatballs often include additional ingredients such as milk, olive oil, ground pork, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and sometimes a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork [2].

Called polpettes, Italian meatballs are often served sauceless and are much smaller than the meatballs you're probably used to. Traditional Italian meatballs typically contain equal portions of meat and soaked bread, and other additions such as egg and vegetables.

Why is my albondigas soup so greasy? The most common reason for oily albondigas soup is due to not using lean ground beef for the meatballs. If the meat is fatty then all that fat is going to escape into the broth. So I always suggest using lean ground beef that has less than 15% fat, ground turkey, or ground chicken.

Why is it called 3 sisters soup? ›

This delicious soup is prepared with corn, squash, and beans. In some Indigenous communities, these crops are called the “Three Sisters” because they help each other grow when planted side by side.

Ziti is a very popular tube shaped pasta. Ziti gets its name from the word zita, which means bride. In Naples, Ziti is the classic pasta served at weddings as the zita/bride's pasta. Ziti goes well with fresh, light sauces like olive oil or a simple fresh tomato sauce.

Minestrone Soup - This is a traditional soup from Italy make with a combination of seasonal vegetables and pasta. It makes a complete meal with a slice of bread.

Because meat shrinks when cooked, mince proteins are likely to separate and crumble unless bound together. Whether it's breadcrumbs or egg (or both), or simply salt, binding the mince is a crucial step in maintaining the softness of your meatballs while preventing them from falling apart.

Breadcrumbs: I add breadcrumbs for texture. I also love substituting them for crushed saltine crackers like we do for this meatloaf. Milk: Adds moisture and tenderizes the meat, making our meatballs juicy and tender once cooked. Egg: Adds more moisture and helps the mixture firm up once cooked.

Chill your meatballs: refrigerating your meatballs an hour before cooking helps them hold their shape throughout the cooking process. They can chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking, making meatballs a great make-ahead dish, too.

To help your meatballs hold their shape and keep them from drying out, you need something to bind them together. Breadcrumbs and eggs are the most common ingredients, but they're not your only options. Soak your breadcrumbs in milk or cream, or replace all or some of your breadcrumbs with rolled oats.