Quick Italian Meatball Soup – Oma's Italienische Fleischklößchen-Suppe

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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Italian Meatball Soup is such an easy crowd-pleaser. It's oh-so-delicious!

This Italian meatball soup is so good, and it's so super quick and easy to make! One of the best things is, that you can clean out your fridge, crisper, and/or freezer!

This may have started as an Italian dish, but with a few of my tweaks, it’s full of German-inspired flavor! Check out the Hints/Tips section of the recipe card to see how I make it match our taste-buds.

Some quick soups don't bother adding meat. However, this soup is called Italian MEATBALL soup, meaning, it HAS meat! That makes hubby happy.

I keep a bag of pre-cooked meatballs in the freezer at all times, just for occasions when I'm rushing about and need to make something delicious quickly.

This recipe is for those times. 

A Bit Of This and a bit of that ...

• Don't have any beef broth. Use bouillon cubes, following package instructions for the quantity to use for 2 cups.
• Add any leftover veggies you have in your fridge. If you want to use up veggies from your crisper, you may need to cook the soup a bit longer to get them tender. 

Yes, you're right. This is a German recipe website, and this soup definitely is not German. But, it's one of my non-German favorites.

Now, if you omit the Italian Seasoning and replace it with some of your favorites (such as Vegeta) and include some Maggi, you've just turned this into a German soup ;)

Tradition says that this Italian meatball soup was used originally to use up leftovers. That makes total sense. Every regional cuisine has its ways of using leftovers in delicious ways.

So, what's often in the crisper? Onions, celery, tomatoes, and carrots. So, these are typically included.

Well, the soup below rivals any that you get in an Italian restaurant. And you’ll feel utterly Italian doing so! In fact, it will be among your favorite Italian soup recipes!

BUT, make the changes that I suggest in the Hints/Tips section of the recipe card, and you'll turn it into a soup that tickles your German taste buds.

BTW, did you know minestrone is really just a thick soup made with vegetables that often has pasta or rice.

Since this soup has pasta in it, it will have a tendency to become thicker as it stands. You may need to add extra liquid when reheating leftovers. 

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Oma Says:

Personally, I like a bit of spice in my soups. That’s why I add often add Montreal Steak Spice. You can change that and add whatever you fancy.

A salt-free seasoning spice blend works. Basil is nice. Garlic or garlic powder works. Thyme is great. 

Looking for other meatball soup recipes? Try a Mexican albondigas soup ... delicious!

Ready to make this Italian Meatball Soup?

Print Recipe

Quick Italian Meatball Soup – Oma's Italienische Fleischklößchen-Suppe

My Italian meatball soup is so good! You can make it as German as you like (see hints below). And, one of the best things is that you can clean out your fridge, crisper, and/or freezer.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes
• 10 ounces frozen small precooked meatballs
• about 2 ounces uncooked pasta (½ cup)
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (see Hints below)
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots (or your favorite veggies)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Into a large saucepan, put the broth, undrained tomatoes, meatballs, pasta, Italian seasoning and veggies.
2. Bring to boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked and the meatballs are hot.
4. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Serve.

Hints/Tips:

• Omit the Italian Seasoning and replace it with Vegeta
• Season with Maggi
• If you like it spicy (like we do), add some Montreal Steak Seasoning

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Recipe updated January 27, 2025

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.