Italian minestrone soup is always delicious served on its own, but the addition of the blue cheese meatballs elevates this dish from a light meal to the main event.
Grab some crusty bread and call the family to the table for this hearty minestrone! It won’t take long before you hear the “mmm” all around.
Sunday is our day of rest which also means a relaxing break from cooking. As the weather turns colder, minestrone soup always brings comfort from the chill in the air, as well as provide for Sunday’s break from the kitchen.
Prepare both the soup and the meatballs ahead so it’s ready to heat up and lighten the load any day of the week.
Serving this easy minestrone soup with baked Italian meatballs transforms this wholesome bowl of brothy vegetables into a satisfying meal. Add a side of crusty French bread or Italian focaccia to soak up every drop from your bowl, or sprinkle with Parmesan crisps for a delightful crunch.
Adding Meatballs to Minestrone
The traditional minestrone soup was originally made in Italian kitchens as a way of using up leftover vegetables so that nothing went to waste. Like the classic, this simple soup is packed full of nutrient-rich vegetables, herbs, beans, and pasta simmered together in a rich beefy broth.
We think you’ll love the addition of savory meatballs with blue cheese that imparts deep umami flavor in every spoonful. Rolling mini-meatballs may seem tedious, but I am a perfect bite kind of gal, so there has to be more than just a meatball on the spoon.
Time-Saving TIP: Ready-made meatballs can be substituted for making your own, though they will likely be larger than bite-size. Simply cut in half or quarter them before adding them to the soup for a more pleasing bite.
Use a Blend of Meats to Make the Best Meatballs
The secret to making a good meatball is to select the right meat to start with! These baked Italian meatballs use a blend of ground beef, ground lamb, and spicy Italian sausage.
Beef and lamb are the base for these savory meatballs, while the spicy Italian sausage adds a bit of zing to balance the rich blue cheese. Of course, you can use mild Italian sausage if you do not tolerate spice well.
The Secret to Making Tender, Juicy Meatballs
- Add milk-soaked bread crumbs (panade) for the lightest and most tender meatballs. Gelled chicken stock can be substituted for the milk.
- Combine meats with a decent percentage of fat. Select 80-90% lean ground beef (85% is ideal), and ground lamb or pork. If using ground turkey, look for dark meat (thigh) over white meat (breast) for better fat content and flavor.
- Don’t be too heavy-handed when bringing the ingredients together. Overworking the meatballs can result in them becoming dense and heavy.
TIP: When rolling meatballs ensure consistency of size as this will help the meatballs cook evenly. A stainless steel scoop, 1-inch/25mm (1/2 tablespoon) is an excellent tool for consistently sized meatballs.
Blue Cheese Meatballs STEP BY STEP
- Beat the egg and Worcestershire sauce together in a medium-sized mixing bowl, then stir in the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, herbs, salt, and pepper; set aside.
- Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, until the onions have softened. Set aside to cool.
- Mix together the ground meats, Italian sausage, and blue cheese. Add both the egg and breadcrumb mixture and the softened onions to the meat and mix together thoroughly.
- Shape into small 1-inch meatballs and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
- Broil on HIGH until cooked through, approximately 6-8 minutes. Note: cooking times will vary depending on the size of meatballs, so break one open to check it is cooked through!
- Once cooked, set the meatballs aside, ready to add to the soup later.
TIP: Wet your hands when ready to roll the meatballs to keep the mixture from sticking to your hands.
How to make Italian Minestrone Soup STEP BY STEP
- Saute leeks, fennel, and celery in olive oil for around 6 minutes, until the vegetables start to caramelize. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add carrot and parsnip and continue to cook. Sprinkle with oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes and stir until the herbs become fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes, kidney beans, 4 cups of beef broth, and parmesan rind to the pot; simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining beef broth and the baked meatballs to the pot and turn the heat up to a strong simmer.
- Stir in the pasta and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the pasta is al-dente (still with some bite).
- Stir in the fresh spinach and parsley the last 5 minutes of the pasta cooking time.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a grating of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Make-Ahead Recipe TIPS
- Wait to add cooked pasta at the time of reheating the soup. Pasta can absorb too much liquid and can breakdown when it sits in the broth for a long time. This does not affect the flavor, only the texture of the pasta and how brothy the soup will be when reheating.
- Wait to add the fresh spinach until reheating the soup for a brighter green color and gently wilted texture. This does not affect the flavor of the soup, only the texture of the spinach.
- Refrigerate prepped soup for up to 5 days.
- Freeze the prepared soup for up to 6 months.
- Once cooked, any leftover meatballs can be frozen and enjoyed at a later date, either in the soup or herby tomato sauce served with pasta.
Recipe VARIATIONS
- Make it dairy-free by removing the cheese from both the traditional minestrone soup and the baked Italian meatballs. Also, substitute the milk in the meatballs with a suitable dairy-free alternative like oat milk or gelled chicken broth.
- Make the soup vegetarian by substituting the beef broth with a vegetable broth. Remove the meatballs from the recipe entirely and serve with some crusty bread instead.
- Make substitutions for gluten-free soup by using gluten-free bread crumbs and gluten-free pasta.
- Substitute the beef, lamb, or pork with ground turkey. If using ground turkey, look for dark meat (thigh) over white meat (breast) for better fat content and flavor.
- Substitute 1/2 cup panko = 2 slices fresh bread = 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (reduce milk by 1-2 tablespoons if using fresh bread crumbs)
- Substitute any of the soup vegetables listed for those you enjoy eating, like acorn or butternut squash, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Substitute kidney beans with another canned bean, for example, cannellini beans.
- Substitute spinach leaves for other fresh leafy greens like kale or chard, which are also iron-rich and full of nutrients. Exchange 8 ounces of fresh spinach with 4-5 ounces frozen spinach.
- Substitute dry Italian seasoning blend simply with dried oregano or a blend of oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, savory, and sage.
- A good substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano is pecorino romano or grana padano, both flavoursome, hard Italian cheeses.
- Don’t have time to make meatballs? A great time-saving tip is to simply substitute the meat mix in the meatballs with some Italian sausage. Remove the sausage from its skin, divide and roll into balls and broil on HIGH for 6-8 minutes until browned and cooked through. This handy shortcut won’t produce as tender of meatballs, but it works in a pinch. Also, ready-made meatballs can be substituted for making your own, though they will likely be larger than bite-size. Simply cut in half or quarter them before adding them to the soup for a more pleasing bite.
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Italian Minestrone Soup with Blue Cheese Meatballs
This simple soup is packed full of oven baked meatballs and nutrient-rich vegetables, herbs, beans, and pasta all simmered together in a rich beefy broth.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion , finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound ground beef , 85% lean
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage , casing removed if in links
- 1/3 cup blue cheese , crumbled fine
For the Soup
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped leeks , white and light green part only, or chopped sweet onion
- 1 cup chopped fennel bulb (1 large)
- 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup diced carrots (2-3 large)
- 1 1/2 cups diced parsnips (2-3 medium)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian herb blend
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces canned tomatoes (San Marzano style, if available) — crushed or stewed tomatoes (if whole, chop into bite-size pieces)
- 3 quarts beef stock
- 2×3 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind , or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 15 ounces red kidney beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 cups dry pasta (uncooked) (about 8 ounces) like mezzi rigatoni, orecchiette, pipette, mini wheels (rotelle), or tubetti
- 8 ounces baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Sea salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
Preparing the Meatballs
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs with milk and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; set aside.
- Saute onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Mix meats and blue cheese together in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and bread crumb mixture, and onions; mix thoroughly. Shape into small 1/2-inch (bite-size) meatballs and place on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Broil on HIGH until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on size of meatballs. Break one open to be sure they are cooked through, extend cooking time if needed.
- Transfer cooked meatballs to a platter and set aside to finish the soup. NOTE: The meatball recipe may produce more than enough for the soup, it’s up to you whether to add all of them or save and freeze a few for another meal.
Preparing the Soup
- In a soup pot over medium heat, saute leeks, fennel, and celery in 2 tablespoons olive oil until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots and parsnips to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat, adding additional olive oil as needed. Sprinkle vegetables with the oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook until herbs are fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes with their juices to the pot along with the drained kidney beans. Pour 4 cups of beef stock into a soup pot and add a 2×3-inch piece of Parmesan rind (if you do not have Parmesan rind, grate 1/4 cup Parmesan into the stock). Stir to combine and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining broth and all the meatballs to the soup and bring back to a strong simmer. Stir in the pasta and cook at a strong simmer for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until pasta is al dente. Stir in the spinach and parsley the last 5 minutes. Taste and add sea salt and pepper, as desired.
- Serve in warm bowls and garnish with additional grated Parmesan.
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Notes
Time-Saving TIP: Ready-made meatballs can be substituted for making your own, though they will likely be larger than bite-size. Simply cut in half or quarter them before adding them to the soup for a more pleasing bite. Otherwise, you can substitute the meat mix in the meatballs with mild Italian sausage. Remove the sausage from its casing, divide and roll into balls. Broil on HIGH for 6-8 minutes until browned and cooked through. This handy shortcut won’t produce as tender of meatballs, but it works in a pinch. Equipment TIP: Use a Stainless Steel Scoop, 25MM (.5 Tablespoon) for consistent meatballs. NOTE: While any favorite pasta will work in the soup, we prefer smaller more toothsome varieties like mezzi rigatoni, orecchiette, pipette, mini wheels (rotelle), or tubetti as they hold their shape and texture well in this soup.
Make-Ahead TIPS:
- Wait to add cooked pasta at the time of reheating the soup. Pasta can absorb too much liquid and can breakdown when it sits in the broth for a long time. This does not affect the flavor, only the texture of the pasta and how brothy the soup will be when reheating.
- Wait to add the fresh spinach until reheating the soup for a brighter green color and gently wilted texture. This does not affect the flavor of the soup, only the texture of the spinach.
- Refrigerate prepped soup for up to 5 days.
- Freeze the prepared soup for up to 6 months.
- Once cooked, any leftover meatballs can be frozen and enjoyed at a later date, either in the soup or herby tomato sauce served with pasta.
Recipe Variations:
- Make it dairy-free by removing the cheese from both the traditional minestrone soup and the baked Italian meatballs. Also, substitute the milk in the meatballs with a suitable dairy-free alternative like oat milk or gelled chicken broth.
- Make the soup vegetarian by substituting the beef broth with a vegetable broth. Remove the meatballs from the recipe entirely and serve with some crusty bread instead.
- Make substitutions for gluten-free soup by using gluten-free bread crumbs and pasta.
- Substitute the beef, lamb, or pork with ground turkey. If using ground turkey, look for dark meat (thigh) over white meat (breast) for better fat content and flavor.
- Substitute 1/2 cup panko = 2 slices fresh bread = 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (reduce milk by 1-2 tablespoons if using fresh bread crumbs)
- Substitute any of the soup vegetables listed for those you enjoy eating, like acorn or butternut squash, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Substitute kidney beans with another canned bean, for example, cannellini beans.
- Substitute spinach leaves for other fresh leafy greens like kale or chard, which are also iron-rich and full of nutrients. Exchange 8 ounces of fresh spinach with 4-5 ounces frozen spinach.
- Substitute dry Italian seasoning blend simply with dried oregano or a blend of oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, savory, and sage.
- A good substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano is pecorino romano or grana padano, both flavoursome, hard Italian cheeses.
Nutrition
Serving: 10g | Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 1166mg | Potassium: 1421mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4265IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 6mg
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