Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup

Okay, you guys went absolutely CRAZY over my Creamy Mini Meatball Soup, and honestly, I don’t blame you. It is one of those recipes that is so ridiculously easy but tastes like you spent all day making it. So obviously I had to take that same idea and turn it into another dinner — and this time we’re bringing MACARONI to the party.

This Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup is almost like spaghetti and meatballs meets soup night. You’ve got mini meatballs, elbow macaroni, spinach, Pecorino Romano and this creamy tomato broth that starts with — wait for it — a jar of marinara sauce! The sauce does so much of the work for you, which is why this comes together SO freaking fast. This is truly one of those 20-ish minute meals that tastes like it should have taken way longer.

And apparently I am on a mission to turn jars of sauce into soup because you HAVE to try my Creamy Italian Sausage & Potato Gnocchi Soup, too. And if you’re new around here, obviously you need to make my viral Lasagna Soup because you guys have been going nuts over that one for years.

But THIS ONE?! If your kids love spaghetti and meatballs, make it. It’s creamy, cheesy, tomatoey, loaded with little macaroni and mini meatballs, and everything cooks in ONE POT.

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Melissa’s Tips!

• Use a marinara you LOVE. The jarred sauce is doing a lot of the work here, so use one you would actually want to eat over a bowl of pasta.
• Don’t over-season it in the beginning. Add just a tiny pinch of salt with the vegetables, then wait until the soup is finished before adding more.
• Shake out that sauce jar! Add a little chicken stock to the empty marinara jar, shake it up and pour it into the soup. We’re not wasting the good stuff.
• Keep stirring once the macaroni goes in. Pasta cooked directly in soup can settle on the bottom, so give it a stir every so often.
• Cook the macaroni al dente. It will continue soaking up that broth as the soup sits.
• The soup WILL thicken. That’s completely normal. The macaroni keeps drinking up the broth even after you turn off the heat.
• Use low-sodium chicken stock. The marinara, meatballs and Pecorino Romano already bring plenty of salty flavor.

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Melissa Jo

Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup

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This Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup is an easy one-pot dinner made with mini meatballs, elbow macaroni, jarred marinara sauce, chicken stock, Pecorino Romano, heavy cream and spinach. It’s basically spaghetti and meatballs turned into the creamiest, coziest soup — and it comes together ridiculously fast for an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 10 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  

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• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• A couple shakes crushed red pepper flakes
• Small pinch of salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic sliced or chopped
• 1 24-ounce jar tomato basil marinara sauce
• 1 32-ounce carton low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 12-ounce bag frozen mini meatballs
• 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
• 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 ounces fresh spinach roughly chopped
• Extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan for serving

Method

 

Step 1: Sauté the Vegetables

1. Add the olive oil to a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium to medium-low heat.
2. Add the celery, carrots and onion along with a couple shakes of crushed red pepper, a tiny pinch of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Cook everything nice and slow until the vegetables soften and become translucent with just a little bit of golden color. We’re not trying to fry these vegetables!

Step 2: Add the Garlic

1. Add the chopped or sliced garlic and sauté for another minute or so, just until it becomes fragrant.
2. Don’t burn the garlic. Nobody wants that.

Step 3: Make the Broth

1. Pour in the entire jar of tomato basil marinara sauce.
2. Then pour a little of the chicken stock into the empty sauce jar, put the lid back on, shake it up and pour it into the pot. We are getting EVERY DROP of that sauce out of there!
3. Add the remaining chicken stock and stir everything together.
4. Bring the soup up to a boil.

Step 4: Add the Meatballs & Macaroni

1. Once the soup is boiling, add the frozen mini meatballs and 2 cups of dry elbow macaroni.
2. The frozen meatballs will bring the temperature down, so let everything come back up to a boil.
3. Cook until the macaroni is al dente and the meatballs are completely heated through, stirring every so often so that macaroni doesn’t settle on the bottom of your pot.

Step 5: Make It Creamy

1. Once the macaroni is just about done, lower the heat.
2. Add the Pecorino Romano, heavy cream and roughly chopped spinach.
3. Stir until the Pecorino melts into the broth, the spinach wilts and everything becomes creamy and absolutely GORGEOUS.
4. Let it gently simmer for another couple of minutes.
5. NOW taste it.
6. This is why I don’t go crazy seasoning this soup in the beginning. Between the marinara sauce, chicken stock, meatballs and Pecorino Romano, there is already a TON of flavor happening in that pot.
7. Taste it at the end and add more salt or cracked black pepper only if you think it needs it.
8. Ladle it into bowls, add some extra Pecorino Romano or Parmesan on top and THAT’S IT.
9. Spaghetti and meatballs soup night, baby!

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👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover Creamy Macaroni & Mini Meatball Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3–4 days.

Don’t panic when you open the refrigerator the next day and your soup looks WAY thicker. The macaroni continues absorbing the creamy tomato broth as it sits.

Add a splash of chicken stock while reheating until you get it back to the consistency you like. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.