Tomato Orzo Meatball Soup

Tomato orzo meatball soup is a one-pot dinner made with tender mini meatballs, orzo pasta, and a cozy tomato broth. It’s a great easy dinner idea to make as the weather gets more chilly, and will be sure to fill your belly and warm you from the inside out.

Info and tips for tomato orzo meatball soup

Since this meal is made in one pot we start by frying the meatballs. This will help leave nice bits of fond (brown caramelized bits of food) on the bottom of the pot that will help develop flavour. If there is quite a bit of grease left over, you can drain some. Make sure to leave enough to help cook the mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery).

I like to blend the sauce a little bit with an immersion blender after adding the tomatoes. This type of hand held blender is made to handle hot liquids, unlike your traditional counter blenders. You don’t have to blend the soup, but if you prefer a smoother sauce I would recommend it.

For maximum flavour for any type of soup I ALWAYS make my own broth using Better Than Bouillon. It’s not as good as homemade broth, but it’s the next best thing. This way you can control how salty you want your broth to be. I find the cardboard cartons of chicken broth to be so watery and flavourless, so I don’t recommend using those.

Equipment

I use an Immersion Blender to make the sauce a little smoother.

Ingredients for tomato orzo meatball soup

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• tsp salt & pepper
• tsp paprika
• tsp oregano

Orzo Soup

• ½ an onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 heaping tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 can plum tomatoes (28 oz or 796ml)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup orzo
• ½ cup heavy cream
• splash balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• parmesan for garnish
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Begin by getting your prep out of the way: dice the onions, carrots, and celery. Mince the garlic and parsley.
2. Add all meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Form into small meatballs, you should have about 20-25.
3. Add the meatballs to a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Sear on all sides until a nice caramelization forms and meatballs are cooked through (about 9-12 minutes depending on your meatball size). Remove meatballs and set aside.
4. If there is a significant amount of grease remove about 1/2, making sure to leave enough to sauté the veggies. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for a few minutes until they are starting to get soft and fragrant.
5. Next add the garlic, and tomato paste. Cook another few minutes to meld the flavours together.
6. Add the plum tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Either break the tomatoes apart with your spoon or use an immersion blender. Once sauce has simmered for 5-10 minutes add the sugar, italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Stir and bring back up to a simmer.
7. Add the ozro and stir. Simmer until almost al dente (about 10 minutes), and then add the heavy cream, balsamic vinegar, and cooked meatballs. Stir well and season with salt & pepper to taste.
8. Serve with parmesan and parsley on top and enjoy!

See below for a video tutorial!

If you liked this one be sure to check out these:

• Korean BBQ Meatballs
• Spicy Vodka Sauce Gnocchi
• Marry Me Chicken Meatballs

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Tomato Orzo Meatball Soup

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Comforting

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 45 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour

Tomato orzo meatball soup is a one-pot dinner made with tender mini meatballs, orzo pasta, and a cozy tomato broth.

Ingredients

• -Meatballs-
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup fresh parsley
• tsp salt & pepper
• tsp paprika
• tsp oregano
• -Orzo Soup-
• ½ an onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 heaping tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 can plum tomatoes (28 oz or 796ml)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup orzo
• ½ cup heavy cream
• splash balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• parmesan for garnish
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

1

Begin by getting your prep out of the way: dice the onions, carrots, and celery. Mince the garlic and parsley.

2

Add all meatball ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Form into small meatballs, you should have about 20-25.

3

Add the meatballs to a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Sear on all sides until a nice caramelization forms and meatballs are cooked through (about 9-12 minutes depending on your meatball size). Remove meatballs and set aside.

4

If there is a significant amount of grease remove about 1/2, making sure to leave enough to sauté the veggies. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for a few minutes until they are starting to get soft and fragrant.

5

Next add the garlic, and tomato paste. Cook another few minutes to meld the flavours together.

6

Add the plum tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Either break the tomatoes apart with your spoon or use an immersion blender. Once sauce has simmered for 5-10 minutes add the sugar, italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Stir and bring back up to a simmer.

7

Add the ozro and stir. Simmer until almost al dente (about 10 minutes), and then add the heavy cream, balsamic vinegar, and cooked meatballs. Stir well and season with salt & pepper to taste.

8

Serve with parmesan and parsley on top and enjoy!