Are you one of those people who thinks soup must be an all day affair? As in, it has to sit on the stove for hours to develop flavour and depth. Well I’m here to tell you that this Spicy Italian Meatball Soup defies that concept. You can actually make it in about 30 minutes all in, and serve it up pretty much straight away. Or, you can let it sit and simmer, but that’s a bit of a waste of time and gas in my humble opinion.
Don’t want to read anymore? Click here to Jump to the Recipe!I consider my soup game to be pretty strong. I can poke around in my fridge and cupboards and make what I call “clean out the fridge” soup, because I generally always have the basics on hand (onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and stock). Everything else is pretty much what’s hanging around and what spice level I’m feeling.
Take this past week for example. We have been inundated with Atmospheric River after Atmospheric River (seriously this is a thing and it’s currently flooding a good portion southern British Columbia). I started out craving a bowl of my steaming hot hamburger soup (a family favourite) but I switched it up when I saw I had leeks still waiting to be harvested in my garden, and Italian sausages in the fridge.
First I thought I would make little meatballs from the sausage to add to my regular hamburger soup and give it a little more zip, but once I had them in the pan I decided that was enough meat without adding the hamburger (and that the hamburger would just dilute the heat from the Italian sausage).
I had diced tomatoes and chicken stock in the cupboard, but that needed a little help so I decided to toss salsa into the mix (I do this with my ultra-quick black bean soup…bug me for that recipe too). I had used mild sausage, so I added even more zip by tossing in red pepper flakes. Trust me. We need the heat in these parts right now.
After adjusting with salt and pepper, that was pretty much it! I piled spinach in a bowl and ladled the steaming hot soup on top, dolloped on a little Greek yogurt, and tossed on a few sprigs of cilantro for a fresh note (and let’s be honest cilantro makes the pics look prettier).
Spicy Italian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 2 leeks whites and tender green section only
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 links mild Italian sausage removed from casing and formed into small meatballs 1" diameter
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 28 oz chicken stock use the tomato can to measure
- 1 cup jarred salsa of your choice
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach divided between 4 bowls for serving
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt for garnish as desired
- 4 sprigs fresh cilantro for garnish as desired
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pot, add olive oil, leeks, and celery and sauté over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking, for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are translucent. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or two
- Add the meatballs and gently move them around until they all have a little colour, but being careful not to break them.
- Add diced tomatoes, chicken stock, salsa, and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper in an amount that works for your preference (note the salsa and meatballs will have a bit of salt in them so make sure you taste first).
- To serve, add 1 cup of uncooked baby spinach to the bottom of each bowl and ladle hot soup over top. This will avoid the spinach turning brown before serving if you add it directly to the soup pot.
- To garnish, add a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprig or two of cilantro as desired.
Don’t be afraid to add your own twists. Do you like kale? Kale would work too, although you need to massage it first to break it down a little. I don’t know about you though. I think I need a massage more than kale does come dinner time! Spicy chorizo would also be delicious if you like things hot. Or you can simply add more red pepper flakes if you want more heat. No leeks? Use an onion, that’s not a problem. Play and enjoy!
And that my friends is how a star soup is born! This one will be on repeat until I can dream up a new concoction.
By the way, if Spicy Italian Meatball Soup isn’t your thing and you’re looking for a great winter meal, check out my Ham and Roasted Cabbage Gratin.
Enjoy!
xoxo
Judy
And there you have it, Bob’s your uncle and all that! This sounds like one of my old childhood favorites that I dug out of the far recesses of the recipe collection the other night with one tiny difference… I never thought to lay in a bed of spinach and ladle the hit soup over it!
Have a lovely day! Stay dry and safe!
It’s such a big warm hug with a punch of popeye (spinach and spice).
Thanks Peggy. You have a lovely day too!