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 95 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 95 votes (43 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Mary
    October 25, 2018

    Would ground chicken work fine for this?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 25, 2018

      I think it would work well with either. Ground chicken thighs would probably be the best (it’s the juiciest).

      Reply

      • Mary
        October 25, 2018

        I made this recipe using 1 lb chicken thighs and 1 lb breast- turned out delicious!! My biggest food critic husband absolutely loved it!! And so did our 1 year old baby:) Will be a dinner staple. Thank you!!

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          October 26, 2018

          Hi Mary! That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new family favorite!

          Reply

      • Polina Slavin
        August 11, 2022

        I used chicken breast and the meatballs turned out dry. Thoughts ?

        Reply

        • NatashasKitchen.com
          August 11, 2022

          Hi Polina. That is quite common with chicken breast. Dark meat chicken or turkey would have more fat.

          Reply

  • Kate
    October 15, 2018

    Which Mrs. Dash did you use? I looked it up on Google and I found different kinds.. I didn’t see a photo of it in your post

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 15, 2018

      We used the original version. Usually has a yellow label.

      Reply

  • Debbie
    September 1, 2018

    I dont usually leave comments but this soup is superb!!! Thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 1, 2018

      Hi Debbie! That’s so great! Thank you for this amazing review!

      Reply

  • Steph
    July 23, 2018

    Thank you for the recipe. I made this yesterday for my 9 month old daughter (she refuses to eat baby food now), and she loved it!

    I used nutritional yeast instead of salt and used soft silken tofu instead of onion.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      July 23, 2018

      That’s so great Steph! Thank you for sharing that with us!

      Reply

  • Zhanna Bystrika
    June 2, 2018

    Yum, thank you for the recipe… I only had ground turkey and dry Dill… but It was delicious 😋.

    Reply

    • Zhanna Bystrika
      June 2, 2018

      Dill

      Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 2, 2018

      Thats great Zhanna! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • Julie K
    April 19, 2018

    Hi Natasha,
    Since I’m only cooking for two, I will be cutting this recipe in half. I still ended up buying 2 lbs of ground pork. Can I make these meatballs and freeze half? How much longer would I need to cook frozen meatballs, or would I thaw them first ? Thanks in advance!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 19, 2018

      Hi Julie, I have frozen meatballs for soup in the past but I do prefer to thaw before adding them to the soup otherwise adding frozen meat tends to make the broth murky.

      Reply

  • Heather
    September 17, 2017

    Did I miss where it said how long to let the soup simmer/cook after everything is added? I definitely want my pork meatballs cooked through. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      September 17, 2017

      Hi Heather, sorry I didn’t specify – it should be about 10 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through. They will be cooked through by the time you are done prepping the vegetables and adding the remaining ingredients. I updated the recipe to specify.

      Reply

      • Sigrun
        September 9, 2019

        Thank you – I also loved your soup! Used half veal half pork mince and no Mrs Dash in Oz, so bit of herbs like garlic salt, oregano. Love the freshness and hydrating quality of the broth

        Reply

        • Natashas Kitchen
          September 9, 2019

          Thank you so much for sharing that with me!

          Reply

  • Elena
    August 29, 2017

    Thank you for a great recipe! My family loved it!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      August 29, 2017

      My pleasure Elena! I’m happy to hear your family enjoys the recipes as much as mine does! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply

  • Lee Thayer
    July 26, 2017

    Absolutely wonderful soup! I made this on 26 July 2017. Easy, straight forward recipe, enjoyed not only by me, but the entire Thai family loved it, and they will be heating it up this morning as well! I did not make the Mrs. Dash Seasoning yet so I just seasoned with salt, pepper, spring onion, and the tops from the celery. This is will be a regular here at the house now. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      July 26, 2017

      You’re welcome Lee! I’m happy to hear that everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!

      Reply

  • Yelena G.
    June 9, 2017

    I made this soup yesterday, and it was delicious. The only difference I put way more Mrs. Dash into meat mixture. We had it with sour cream, and everyone was in love with it! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 9, 2017

      That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review 😀

      Reply

  • Anna
    April 26, 2017

    Is there anything I can do to make the liquid more flavorful? I omitted the celery because I really don’t like celery but I feel like the liquid is just salted oily water. Like it’s missing flavor. Any suggestions what I can add? Maybe chicken stock?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 26, 2017

      Hi Anna, did you use the amount and type of meat (pork) called for in the recipe? It should provide ample flavor to the soup without needing broth unless you substitute with a less flavorful meat. You can definitely replace some of the water with chicken broth, especially if you subbed for another kind of meat. I hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply

  • Esther
    December 17, 2016

    This soup is delicious! Do you ever eat it with sour cream? Thanks so much for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 17, 2016

      Hi Ester, I like the light broths like this without sour cream, but to be honest I’ve never tried it in this soup. Have you?

      Reply

      • Esther
        December 23, 2016

        We did try it with sour cream and we loved it! My daughter ate hers without and also loved it. 🙂

        Reply

  • Thanks for the reminder!
    December 1, 2016

    My mom made a soup with rice instead of pasta, and gently sauteed the balls before adding them to soup. It prevents the meat scum from forming. Easy to do by slicking the pan with oil and gently shaking it as the balls get golden. I will try to use the 2 tsp springloaded ice cream scoop to form the balls(I think it’s #70).

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 2, 2016

      Thanks for sharing your tip! 🙂 Yes, the ice scream scoop makes it so easy to form the meatballs! 🙂

      Reply

  • Olga
    April 28, 2016

    Enjoying a bowl as I type this 😉

    Mmmm!!!! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 29, 2016

      You’re very welcome :). We make this in our house all the time. It’s an adult and kid favorite around here 🙂

      Reply

  • Erina
    April 4, 2016

    My husband hates soups. When I made this recipe, he absolutely loved it!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 4, 2016

      Reading your comment is like music to my ears, except it’s my eyeballs – you know what I mean!! 🙂 Thank you for that awesome review! We just finished a pot of this same soup tonight 🙂

      Reply

  • Stella
    April 1, 2016

    How long should the meatballs boil in the soup until fully cooked?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 1, 2016

      We usually give it a good 5 minutes. They will float to the top. You can test one to be sure 🙂

      Reply

  • Roxana
    March 4, 2016

    Thank you for all of your recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      March 4, 2016

      You’re so welcome 🙂

      Reply

  • Vicky
    January 28, 2016

    This soup is yummy!! I always make it! Exactly how my mom use to make it! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      January 28, 2016

      Vicky, thank you for the great review and the compliment 😀.

      Reply

  • Julia
    December 10, 2015

    Hello, my husband can’t eat red meat. Do you think this recipe would work with ground turkey or chicken?!

    Thank You 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 10, 2015

      I think it would work well with either. Ground chicken thighs would probably be the best (it’s the juiciest).

      Reply

  • Tania
    November 25, 2015

    Hi Natasha
    This soup is very yummy! My husband loved the meat balls :). I love all your recepies I have tried most of them :). And they all delicious!!!
    Thank you. Hope there be more new ones soon 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      November 25, 2015

      I’m so happy you enjoy it :). This one is our family’s favorite and most frequently made soup :).

      Reply

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