Home > Eastern European Recipes > Mom’s Meatball Soup Recipe

Mom’s Meatball Soup Recipe

A bowl of mom\'s meatball soup with a cloth napkin and spoon beside it

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I kept meaning to get Mom’s recipe for this wonderful and easy meatball soup. She’s been making it for years. Because I love the meatballs so much, we put lots of them in this soup (2 lbs!!). You could use 1 lb and adjust the seasoning accordingly, but why? WHY?!!

My Mama and I made this together in her kitchen. I love cooking with Mom. I always learn so much. Everyone loved this soup and there was less than half left after a few hours. I downed two bowls myself and my son loved it too. It’s a winner for sure!

Ingredients for Mom’s  Meatball Soup:

7 cups water
8 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
6-8 medium potatoes, cubed
3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pasta (optional)
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 large sticks of celery, finely diced
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten (optional)
2 Tbsp Dill, fresh or frozen
Mrs. Dash
Freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the Meat Mix:

2 lbs ground pork
1 tsp Mrs. Dash original or Mrs. Dash garlic seasoning
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 onion, finely diced

Ingredients for mom\'s meatball soup on the table

How to Make the Best Meatball Soup:

1. Add water and broth to a large soup pot over high heat. Add 2 tsp salt and all of your chopped potatoes to the soup pot.

Potatoes on a cutting board being cut into squares

2. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. In the mean time, slice your carrots and toss them into the soup pot.

Diced carrots, into rings, on a cutting board

3. Add 1/2 cup of 1/2″ pieces of thin spaghetti to the soup pot or whatever pasta you wish. Pasta is optional, but I’ve always liked it when Mom added it to soups.

Dry pasta on a plate

4. Chop your onion (1/2 goes into the meat mix and 1/2 goes into the soup in step 7).

Onion being diced on a cutting board

5. Place ground pork into a large bowl (Store-bought ground pork works. I ground my own pork on the large grinder holes). Add 1/2 chopped onion, 1 tsp Mrs. Dash, 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 1 egg. Mix well.

moms-meatball-soup

6. Make meatballs by rolling them in your hands. They don’t have to be perfect, just round-ish. Toss them in your pot as you make them. Recruit a helper for meatballs to liven (and speed) things up. Cook for at least 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and floating at the top.

moms-meatball-soup-1

7. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium/high heat. Add 3 Tbsp canola oil, finely diced celery and onion. I normally don’t like celery in soups, but sautéing enhances the soup’s flavor without being over-the-top celery flavored. Saute until soft and golden. Add it to the pot.

moms-meatball-soup-2

8. Add 1 beaten egg to the soup pot while stirring constantly so you don’t get clumps of egg. If you don’t like egg, you can omit it (the soup won’t miss it).

moms-meatball-soup-3

9. Add 2  Tbsp dill. Then add more Mrs. Dash, Salt and Pepper to taste (Mom added about 1/2 tsp dash, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper at the end).

moms-meatball-soup-5

moms-meatball-soup

Mom's Meatball Soup Recipe

4.98 from 89 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 -16

Soup Ingredients:

  • 7 cups water
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 6-8 medium potatoes, cubed
  • 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup pasta, optional
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced
  • 2 large sticks of celery, finely diced
  • 3 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp Dill, fresh or frozen
  • Mrs. Dash
  • Ground black pepper

Meat Mix Ingredients:

Instructions

  • Add water and chicken stock to a large soup pot over high heat. Add 2 tsp salt and all of your chopped potatoes to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
  • In the mean time, slice your carrots and toss them into the soup pot.
  • Add 1/2 cup of 1/2" pieces of thin spaghetti to the soup pot or whatever pasta you wish.
  • Place ground pork into a large bowl. Add 1/2 chopped onion, 1 tsp Mrs. Dash, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp salt, and 1 egg. Mix well.
  • Make meatballs by rolling them in your hands. Toss them in your pot as you make them. Cook for at least 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and floating at the top.
  • Meanwhile, heat a non-stick skillet over medium/high heat. Add 3 Tbsp canola oil, finely diced celery and 1/2 onion. Saute until soft and golden. Add it to the pot.
  • Add 1 beaten egg to the soup pot while stirring constantly so you don't get clumps of egg. (Optional).
  • Add 2 Tbsp dill. Then add more Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper to taste. We added about 1/2 tsp dash, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper at the end).
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Mom's Meatball Soup
Skill Level: Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Final Final Picmonkey Hashtag banner

 

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

Read more posts by Natasha

4.98 from 89 votes (43 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • KGL
    September 4, 2024

    Excellent recipe, the soup is delicious!

    Thank you.

    Reply

  • Laur
    July 2, 2024

    I have made this several times it is delicious! I have made it with Swedish meatballs as well which is our favorite. Today gonna try in exchange for the meatballs chicken tortellini. Love love love this soup recipe!!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 2, 2024

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Laur!

      Reply

  • Natalie
    June 10, 2024

    I love this recipe. Instead of pasta we add white rice as that is how my husband’s family makes it. We also added a bit of rice to the meatballs.

    Reply

  • Nataliya
    May 29, 2024

    Hey!!! I absolutely loved this soup and so did my family! Wanted to ask if I can supplement canola oil with avocado oil?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      May 29, 2024

      Hi Nataliya, I imagine that may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

  • Laura
    May 13, 2024

    Sorry but no taste , 15 cups of water maybe should be replaced with some kind of broth

    Reply

    • Natasha
      May 13, 2024

      HI Laura, you are correct – I don’t know how that was missed in updating this recipe. I have adjusted it to 7 cups water and 8 cups reduced sodium chicken stock. I also adjusted the salt quantity since the stock has some salt in it already.

      Reply

  • Montana
    May 13, 2024

    Amazing soup! I have come back to this recipe multiple times and (although I do add in some of my personal touches) it’s us always so good with simple instructions for a beginner like me

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      May 13, 2024

      No worries, what’s important is that you love it!

      Reply

  • Nadia
    March 1, 2024

    I make this soup all the time! But i fry the meatballs to add color to them beforehand. My kids love this soup!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 1, 2024

      Sounds delicious, Nadia!

      Reply

  • Francesa
    February 19, 2024

    Made for my sick fussy eater, loved it. Thank you will make again.. was super quick and easy!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 20, 2024

      So glad to hear that he/she loved it! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

  • Yul
    February 12, 2024

    Hello Natasha. I was wondering. How long will this soup keep in the fridge?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 12, 2024

      Hi Yul! You can refrigerate it and consume it within 3-4days.

      Reply

  • Jcs
    February 7, 2024

    My 2 year-old sat there saying YUM! after every bite, both at dinner the first night and lunch the next day. 😛
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 7, 2024

      That’s wonderful to hear! It’s always great when kids love the food we make!

      Reply

  • Karen
    January 23, 2024

    This was so good! Made it with ground chicken, no potatoes but added broken spaghetti. Did I say how good it was?😊
    We lived in Ukraine for several years and a friend made this for us several times. We enjoy it!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 23, 2024

      Hi Karen, that’s nice to know! Thanks a lot for sharing your experience trying this recipe. We’re glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Yelena
    January 16, 2024

    Have been making this recipe for years now. This soup is easy and quick to make and my kids request it every several weeks.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 16, 2024

      That’s wonderful, Yelena!

      Reply

  • Nanners
    January 6, 2024

    Yum! I used bouillon instead of salt when cooking the potatoes, and added some rough chopped garlic when sautéing the celery and onion. Also served with a dollop of crema mexicana. Family loved it!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 6, 2024

      Sounds amazing! I’m so glad the family loved the recipe.

      Reply

  • Janet
    October 10, 2023

    Would it be possible to use ground beef instead? And could I skip the celery, since I dislike the taste of it?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 10, 2023

      Hi Janet, that will work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote: “I made it with beef and didn’t had celery , but it taste amazing. For my 6 persons family was exactly 1,2 kg ground beef. Everyone liked it! One of the best fall soups” I hope that helps.

      Reply

  • Amy
    September 9, 2023

    I tried this recipe today and it turned out great. I included the optional ingredients. I will be making this regularly. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      September 9, 2023

      You’re very welcome, Amy! I’m glad you loved the recipe.

      Reply

  • Elena Zadniprovskiy
    April 1, 2023

    Comfort food! 💫💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕✨

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      April 1, 2023

      Agreed!

      Reply

  • Vicky
    March 17, 2023

    I made this soup today. It’s delicious and very easy to make. I will definitely make it again.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 17, 2023

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Vicky!

      Reply

  • Rob L
    November 27, 2022

    Wonderful – I’ve made this several times, either ground beef or ground turkey meatballs, and olive oil instead of canola. Never with pasta. Try it with Yukon Gold or Yellow potatoes – they disintegrate and thicken the soup delightfully! The recipe also works as potato soup without the meatballs. Perhaps my ancestors from Berditchev, Ukraine prepared a soup like this?

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 27, 2022

      Perhaps they did! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, Rob.

      Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.