Something I personally find a lot of joy and fun in, is turning a familiar recipe into a soup version of itself, and that’s just what I did with this cheesy rigatoni meatball soup.
Wonderful, Irresistible Soup!
Ah, soup… it’s one of my favorite things to prepare and to eat.
I love the entire “dance” of preparing soup—stock simmering away while I chop, slice and dice all of those delicious and aromatic ingredients that’ll create that wonderful depth of flavor… I create a little station next to my stove where I can begin the process of searing and browning, of stirring and sautéing, in order to ultimately achieve pure bliss in the form of a steaming, magical elixir that typically emerges only 25-45 minutes later.
What could be better? More soothing?
And while soup is certainly most cozy to enjoy in these colder months, a delicious bowl of savory, “liquid heaven” is something my husband and I eat all year long—spring, summer, fall or winter.
For us, soup is a complete meal, one that is so versatile and nourishing, one that thoroughly comforts us to our very cores.
Rigatoni and Meatballs are a Match Made in Soup Heaven
The base for this luxurious, rich and flavorful soup is a tomato one, filled with lots of garlic, herbs, and silky olive oil (even a tiny splash of red wine!). It’s very similar to the flavors of a classic marinara sauce, only lighter. Savory meatballs are added in and gently simmered until they become nice and tender.
When this bright, velvety soup is ladled into a bowl filled with warm rigatoni, and topped with a sprinkle of creamy mozzarella, it becomes the perfect meal to enjoy when you’re craving something nourishing, comforting, and Italian. (The kiddos will love it, too!)
Rigatoni meatball soup is one of our new favorites fit to be placed into our repertoire and enjoyed with a nice, toasty piece of garlic bread for dipping, and perhaps a glass of good red wine to sip on—really quite perfect for whatever season we find ourselves in.
Tips & Tidbits for Rigatoni Meatball Soup:
- Good quality lean, ground beef: I like to use 85/15 organic ground beef, as it has just the right amount of fat to lean meat, which equals flavor; but you can also use a leaner ground beef, just know that it will not be quite as tender in meatballs, since there is less fat.
- Substitute another ground meat: You can also use dark meat chicken or turkey as a substitute for beef, for a leaner version—you can even use ground lamb or pork, if you prefer.
- Make your meatballs first: I like to prepare the meatballs first, and have them ready to brown; I also use a tablespoon to scoop out portions of the meatball mixture to create bite-size meatballs, not too small but not too large to comfortably eat in soup form.
- Feel free to leave out the wine: I add in only a very small amount of red wine into the soup, and that completely cooks out; but if you prefer not to add wine, simply omit it.
- Vegetarian option: You can very easily prepare the soup on its own without any meatballs if you are looking for a vegetarian option, and substitute vegetable stock in place of the chicken.
- Prepare ahead: Separate elements of this recipe can easily be prepared ahead. You can prepare the meatballs a day or two ahead of time, and you can cook your rigatoni in advance as well. Just make the soup the day you plan to serve. Or, you can prepare the entire recipe, keeping the rigatoni separate, a couple of days ahead of when you plan on serving it—the flavor will be amazing! (If you make it ahead and it thickens up a bit, feel free to add a some water, if necessary.)
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Rigatoni Meatball Soup
by Ingrid Beer
Print RecipeYield: Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Meatball Ingredients:
• 1 pound ground beef (85/15 ratio, organic if possible)
• 1 French roll (2-3 ounces), processed for 20-30 seconds in food processor for breadcrumbs
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press (Need a good garlic press? Here’s the link: Rowav Garlic Press)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Splash of milk or half & half (about 2 tablespoons)
Soup Ingredients:
• Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 (28 ounce/ 793 gram) can organic whole, peeled tomatoes
• 6 cups warm chicken stock (I like Better Than Bouillon to make my stock)
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 8 ounces uncooked rigatoni, cooked according to package instructions
• Grated mozzarella cheese (about ¼ cup per serving, so about 2 cups total)
Preparation:
-Prepare your meatballs by placing your ground beef into a large bowl, and then adding in the remainder of the meatball ingredients; gently mix together just until combined, and using a tablespoon, scoop portions of the mixture and roll between your palms to form meatballs.
-Place a large soup pot (non-stick is ideal, if you have it, you can give this one a try: Calphalon Unison Nonstick 4-Quart Soup Pot with Lid) over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; once the pot is hot, add in the meatballs, working in a couple of batches, if necessary; if you have a non-stick pot, then you can leave your meatballs to brown on that first side, undisturbed, for about 2-3 minutes; if your pot is not non-stick, make sure to move it around vigorously for about 30 seconds when you add in the meatballs so they don’t stick to the bottom before the sear up.
-Once the meatballs are browned on all sides (about 4 minutes total per batch), transfer them to a plate or bowl to hold; then, drizzle in a touch more olive oil (if needed), and add in the chopped onion.
-Saute the onion, scraping up the good bits from the meatballs as much as possible; add in the dried basil, oregano, and parsley, plus a pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using), and stir for a couple minutes until things soften.
-Add in the garlic and stir that to combine, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the tomato paste, and stir to incorporate that in, about 30 seconds or so; add in the red wine to deglaze (if using), and after about 20 seconds, add in the whole tomatoes and the chicken stock.
-Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes; then, using a blender or a hand-held immersion blender (my personal favorite for soup, here’s the link: KitchenAid 3-Speed Hand Blender), puree the soup until smooth.
-Add the meatballs into the soup, and bring it back to a gentle simmer; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes more until the meatballs are tender.
-To serve, add ½ cup of the cooked rigatoni to a bowl, and ladle in some of the soup (about 1 ½ cups) along with 4 meatballs; top with about ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese, and either enjoy immediately, or place under the broiler for a minute to melt and slightly brown the cheese.
Believe it or not, we also turned Philly Cheesesteak into a stew! Check it out: Philly Cheesesteak Stew
This post contains affiliate links
This looks delicious. tummy warming and soul nourishing. I cook Gluten Free, but simply switching to a gluten free pasta and using the heels of frozen gluten free frozen bread will be perfect substitutes. I can’t wait to try this recipe, It’s a refreshing change from the same-old soups in our rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lucy! The pleasure is all mine! And your ideas for substitutions to make this gluten-free are absolutely perfect; it’s wonderful that there are so many simple swaps readily available to folks with gluten intolerance so that most meals can easily be prepared. I hope you enjoy! ❤️
Made your soup tonight and the family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Melinda! So happy the family enjoyed!
Can this soup be frozen?
Hi Jan, I don’t see why not. The only concern is that the meatballs might become a little mealy, but I honestly don’t think it should be too much of an issue. And, of course, don’t freeze the rigatoni—just prepare that fresh when you’re ready to serve the soup.
Hope you enjoy!
Hi there, This is soooooo good. Thanks for this perfect soup on a very cold Canadian day. I will make it again.
Hi Nadia! I’m so excited you made this soup! Glad it’s been a cozy comfort on this cold day for you, and I’m so very happy you took a little moment to let me know it turned out well. ❤️
I just wanted to compliment you and your husband on the time and effort put into your recipes. the instructions are so clearly written and easy to follow with the photos being a clear guide through the cooking process. I haven’t disliked any recipe that I have made from your site. Thank you, again, for such a pleasant place to find a delicious meal, dessert, or anything else that suits my taste buds.
Martha, thank you for such an encouraging comment—we truly appreciate that! My husband and I absolutely love what we do, so to receive a comment such as yours gives us a lot of joy. Thanks for taking some time to bring some light into our day; we hope you enjoy the recipe!
My mouth is honestly watering right now! I’m so glad I came across this recipe, because I’ve been freezing my butt off all day… this is exactly that comfort food inspiration I needed! Thanks for posting such an incredible looking soup, and I soooo look forward to trying this out.
Hi Faith, I’m so glad you came across this recipe, too! (It’s especially good at helping to keep your butt from freezing off, so definitely have a go at trying this one out, haha!) 😉 I think you’ll find some good, hearty comfort in it; here’s to happy cooking!
Hi could I use beef stock and better then beef base instead of chicken? Also I am making this today. I was wondering if the meatballs hold during the hours of simmering. Do you usually boil noodles before seving?
Thanks…Snowed in on the East Cost… this definitely looks like the comfort food for the occasional. Also had a box of rigatoni for a while now I just didn’t know what to do with. 🙂
Hi Anna, you can certainly use beef stock, if you prefer! I noticed, though, that you mentioned “hours of simmering”; please take note that the recipe does not require hours of simmering. The meatballs, once browned, don’t go back into the soup until it is pureed, and then it is only for a 15 minute simmer. And as far the pasta, cook that separate (you can certainly do this while the soup is cooking), and then add to your bowl before ladling the soup in. Hope you enjoy this cozy recipe on this cold day!
If I just wanted to make it as meatballs and sauce and serve over pasta, I could just cut down the liquid correct?
Hi Kelli, I would say yes.
Because I have not prepared this recipe in more of a “meatballs and sauce” sort of way, I don’t have measurements to offer you; but going less on the liquid will certainly create a thicker consistency.
Hope you enjoy!
All I can say is YUM, Yum, Yum. I was looking for a recipe for meatball soup and I found THE only recipe I’ll ever need.
That is so great Deborah! I’m thrilled to read that, and thank you for sharing—you put a big smile on my face! 🙂
This is a yummy comfort soup that the whole family enjoyed! I added pepperoni and sweet peppers. I also skipped the wine, and I added an extra 1/2 tsp of tomato paste with 2 tbsp of sugar. I already had meatballs I made with my own recipe that I thawed. Instead of whole tomatoes, I used organic crushed and sauced tomatoes with fresh basil. We accompanied it with rosemary and olive oil toast. We definitely will make it frequently! I look forward to trying more of your recipes!
Venus, thank you so much for sharing!
So happy you and your family are enjoying this hearty and cozy soup, and I love your personal tweaks!
Happy cooking to you as you peruse and prepare more of our recipes here—I think you will find many comforting and warming options to share with your loved ones. 😉
I’m lazy and don’t want to make homemade bread crumbs. How much store ought crumbs would I use? Thanks!
Hi Lori, I’d say you’d do well with about 1/2 cup of crumbs. Hope you enjoy!
This was a big hit in our household! I subbed vegetarian “ground beef” from Happy Little Plants (kinda like Beyond Beef’s veggie ground beef) in the meatballs but otherwise followed the recipe with great results. We will be making this one again; thanks for sharing this great recipe!
Hi Catherine, I’m so happy to ready that!
What a wonderful substitution—I’m thrilled those meatballs turned out for you, and that you all enjoyed this tasty soup!
I have an onion allergy and wanted to know what I could substitute for that.
Hi Mariko, I would simply leave it out, as there really is no good substitute for onions. (If you’re OK with garlic, perhaps more of that for flavor?)
Hello dear! This looks amazing! I am going to fix this tonight and was wondering what kind of wine you use.
Hi Sharon! Feel free to use whatever kind of red wine you have on hand. I honestly don’t remember what brand/varietal I used for the recipe, as we have different reds in the house at any given time; but a nice cabernet would be great. Something you would enjoy drinking alongside! 😉
Hope you enjoy!
Made the soup tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
My pleasure, Kimberly!
Thanks so much for taking some time to share your experience with me—I love to know when someone experienced some nourishment and comfort from a recipe of mine!