Creamy Mini Meatball Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 cup celery (diced)
• 0.5 cup carrots (diced)
• 0.5 cup yellow onion (diced)
• crushed red pepper flakes (a couple shakes)
• salt (to taste)
• freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
• 4 garlic (sliced or chopped)
• 24 oz tomato basil marinara sauce (1 jar)
• 32 oz low-sodium chicken stock (1 carton)
• 1 cup water
• 12 oz frozen mini meatballs (1 bag)
• 8 oz radiatori pasta
• 0.75 cup Pecorino Romano (grated)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 oz fresh spinach (roughly chopped)
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan (extra for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium to medium-low heat.

2. 2

   Add the diced celery, carrots and onion along with a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, a little salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.

3. 3

   Sauté until the vegetables soften and become translucent and lightly golden. You aren’t looking to caramelize them here — just get them nice and tender.

4. 4

   Once the vegetables are softened, add the sliced or chopped garlic.

5. 5

   Stir everything together and sauté for another minute or so, just until that garlic becomes fragrant. Don’t let it burn!

6. 6

   Pour in the entire jar of tomato basil marinara sauce.

7. 7

   Pour some of the chicken stock right into the empty sauce jar, put the lid back on and give it a good shake. Pour that into the pot so you get every last bit of that sauce out of the jar.

8. 8

   Add the remaining chicken stock along with 1 cup of water and stir everything together.

9. 9

   Bring the soup to a boil.

10. 10

    Once the soup is boiling, add the frozen mini meatballs and radiatori pasta.

11. 11

    The frozen meatballs will probably bring the temperature of the soup down, so let everything come back up to a boil.

12. 12

    Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are heated all the way through. Stay by the pot and give it a stir every so often so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.

13. 13

    Once the pasta is just about where you want it, lower the heat and add the grated Pecorino Romano, heavy cream, and roughly chopped fresh spinach.

14. 14

    Stir everything together until the cheese melts into the broth, the spinach wilts and the soup becomes creamy and beautiful.

15. 15

    Let it gently simmer for just a few minutes so everything comes together.

16. 16

    Ladle it into bowls and top each serving with a little extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan.

Notes

Melissa's Tips: Use a high-quality marinara sauce you love, as it does a lot of the flavor work. Use low-sodium chicken stock to prevent the soup from becoming overly salty. The soup will thicken as it sits because the pasta continues to absorb liquid; add a splash of chicken stock or water when reheating. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• meatballs
• pasta
• one-pot
• dinner
• main
• easy