Meatball & Tortellini Soup

Happy first day of fall, y’all! It’s officially, unequivocally soup weather!

It’s also pumpkin spice, hot apple cider, pie & squash weather. Fall is my all-time favorite season not only because of the food, but because of the crisp coolness in the air and the beautiful yellow and orange colors. I love everything about fall and wish it would last a lot longer than just a few months.

I’ve been amping up my soup-making lately and am planning to make more soups the next few weekends. This soup recipe was born out of a need to use up some frozen meatballs in my fridge and a big can of tomatoes I had lingering on my pantry shelf.

I think it’s time for a little deep-dive on canned tomatoes. There are a few brands that are far superior in quality and taste that I think everyone should be using–even if they are a bit more expensive.

First up, when buying diced tomatoes, go for Muir Glen. They’ve got the best tasting diced tomatoes this side of the Atlantic ocean.

For tomatoes you want to make a sauce with, alway–I repeat, always—go for the Cento San Marzano tomatoes. Another important thing to remember: hand crush them before adding them to a pot. This brings out an even BETTER level of flavor and will get you the best bang for your buck.

I went with the Cento brand for this soup and it was the best decision I could’ve made. The soup was packed full of flavor and it had little bursts of even more flavor when you bit down onto a tomato. Magnificent!

For this soup, and any other meatball soup, I prefer using “homestyle” frozen meatballs—not “Italian”. Italian meatballs usually have fennel in it (I LOATHE fennel) and have a sweeter taste. Homestyle meatballs are ultimately just savory, and give you that really good, deep down in the belly feeling when you put them in soup.

Enjoy!

Meatball & Tortellini Soup

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 35 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A savory, hearty soup perfect for cold weather. This soup is filled to the brim with meatballs, tortellini, tomatoes and kale.

Ingredients

• 3 cups frozen homestyle meatballs
• 2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
• 1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
• 2 cups English peas, frozen or fresh
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper
• 1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups beef broth
• Shredded parmesan, for serving

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Crush tomatoes by hand and add to the pot, along with their juices. Season with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir in can of tomato sauce, beef broth, meatballs (frozen), and peas. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
3. Simmer soup for 25-30 minutes or until meatballs are done and flavors are developed. Stir in tortellini 10 minutes before cooking time is up. After that, stir in kale and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve topped with shredded parmesan.