Crockpot meatball soup is a dump-and-go Italian-style soup: a bag of fully cooked beef meatballs, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, onion, celery, carrots and Italian seasoning slow cook all day, then little ditalini pasta goes in near the end. Top each bowl with Parmesan and parsley. It feeds 6.
How to make crockpot meatball soup: put 24 ounces of thawed, fully cooked meatballs in the slow cooker with crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 6 cups of beef broth, onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, cook on low 6 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours, and stir in 1 1/2 cups of ditalini for the last 30 minutes on low or 15 on high.
Why You’ll Love It
- About 10 minutes of prep: no browning, just load the pot.
- Store-bought meatballs do the heavy lifting.
- Feeds 6 with 24 ounces of meatballs and 1 1/2 cups of pasta.
- Easy to change with spinach, beans or a different pasta.
When to Add the Pasta So It Stays Tender
The pasta goes in late. Add it too early and it turns mushy.
- On low: stir in the ditalini for the last 30 minutes.
- On high: stir it in for the last 15 minutes.
- Watch it the first time. Check the pasta the first time you make it.
- Too thick? Stir in more broth after the pasta goes in.
- Or cook it separately. Boil the pasta on its own and add it to each bowl. The soup is good without pasta too.
Do You Have to Cook Meatballs Before Putting Them in Soup?
This recipe uses fully cooked frozen meatballs, so they only need to heat through. Thaw them in the refrigerator first: USDA FSIS says to always thaw meat before it goes into a slow cooker. Check that the finished soup reads 165°F.
Making your own meatballs? Sear them or partly bake them first; one version bakes them at 400°F for 16 to 18 minutes. Raw ground meat needs to reach 160°F.
Which Meatballs to Use
Store-bought fully cooked beef meatballs are the easy route, and the card is built around one 24-ounce bag. Italian-style meatballs already carry herbs and spices, so the soup leans Italian; plain or home-style meatballs work just as well and let the Italian seasoning do the work. Whatever you buy, thaw the bag in the refrigerator the night before so the meatballs are ready to go into the pot in the morning.
Homemade meatballs are fine too. Brown them in a skillet or bake them until they’re cooked through before they go into the slow cooker, then follow the recipe as written.
Ingredient Notes
Meatballs. One 24-ounce package of fully cooked beef meatballs, thawed in the fridge. Italian-style meatballs bring their own spices; plain or home-style meatballs work too.
Tomatoes and broth. A 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce and 6 cups of beef broth.
Vegetables. Half an onion, 2 stalks of celery and 2 carrots, all diced.
Pasta. One and a half cups of dry ditalini. Any small pasta works.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces frozen fully cooked beef meatballs (1 package), thawed in the refrigerator
- 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups dry ditalini pasta (any small pasta works)
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving
How to Make Crockpot Meatball Soup
1. Load the slow cooker. Add the thawed meatballs, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.
2. Stir and cover. Stir everything together and cover.
3. Cook. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Add the pasta late. Stir in the ditalini for the last 30 minutes on low, or the last 15 minutes on high, until tender. If the soup gets too thick, stir in more broth.
5. Check the temperature. Make sure the soup reads 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and Parmesan.
Variations
- Greens: stir in spinach or kale until wilted.
- Beans: add a can of cannellini beans.
- Other add-ins: mushrooms, fresh basil or a bay leaf.
- Other pasta: orzo, rigatoni, farfalle, penne, fusilli or macaroni.
- Rice: cook rice separately and add it to the bowls instead of pasta.
- More vegetables: frozen mixed vegetables, or potatoes with the carrots and onion.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze for 3 to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until the soup comes to a rolling boil (165°F). Don’t reheat it in the slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Parmesan and parsley on top, and crusty bread on the side. For more meatball dinners, try slow cooker Mississippi meatballs. For more slow cooker soups, there’s slow cooker lasagna soup, unstuffed cabbage roll soup, Amish tomato noodle soup, beef and barley soup and quick and easy taco soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to cook meatballs before putting them in soup?
This recipe uses fully cooked meatballs, so no. Homemade meatballs should be seared or partly baked first.
Can I put raw meatballs in a slow cooker?
This recipe doesn’t; it uses fully cooked meatballs. If you make your own, cook them first until they reach 160°F.
Can I put frozen meatballs straight in?
Thaw them in the refrigerator first. USDA FSIS says to always thaw meat before it goes into a slow cooker.
Why did my pasta get mushy?
It went in too early. Add it for the last 30 minutes on low or 15 on high, or cook it separately.
What soup uses meatballs?
This Italian-style tomato and pasta soup is one; it uses a bag of cooked beef meatballs.
Final Notes
Thaw the meatballs, load the pot, and hold the pasta until the end. Tell me in the comments what you added to yours.
Crockpot Meatball Soup
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Ingredients
- 24 ounces frozen beef meatballs 1 package; use fully cooked meatballs and thaw them in the refrigerator first
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes 1 can
- 8 ounces tomato sauce 1 can
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta dry; any small pasta works
- fresh parsley chopped, for serving
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add the thawed meatballs, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, onion, celery, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to the slow cooker.
- Stir everything together and cover.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
- Stir in the ditalini for the last 30 minutes on low, or the last 15 minutes on high, until tender. If the soup gets too thick, stir in more broth.
- Make sure the soup reads 165F on a food thermometer.
- Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and Parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
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