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

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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 93 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

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4.98 from 93 votes (43 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  • Phil Daley
    March 17, 2025

    Absolutely delicious! In fact, the simple ingredients come together so surprisingly well to exceed expectations. It’s wonderful. Made it for my Mom who had a hankering for her mother’s meatball stew. She said, “It tastes just like Mom’s!” (High praise)

    I made the meatballs a little too big, I think. Next time …

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      March 17, 2025

      That’s so great to hear! Thank you.

      Reply

  • Zoey
    March 12, 2025

    Amazing soup!
    Everyone loves it in my household. ♡

    Reply

  • Natasha
    January 27, 2025

    Will the soup miss out if I avoid the celery? I don’t usually appreciate celery haha, but I’ll try the saute trick if it’s an important ingredient.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 28, 2025

      Hi there! It adds great flavor but you can experiment without celery too.

      Reply

  • Julia
    January 27, 2025

    YUM!! This was so delicious. Thank you for another fan favorite, Natasha! I made it exactly as written except used regular (not low-sodium) broth. This one is definitely going in my recipe binder. I love that it makes a BIG batch for leftovers!

    Reply

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