1 pound meatballs see note

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 (28 fluid ounce) can crushed tomatoes I used fire roasted

4 cups beef broth

1/2 red bell pepper chopped small

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional

1.5 cups fusilli pasta

1/4 cup fresh basil torn/chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese (for serving) optional, to taste

Prep time for this soup doesn’t include making meatballs from scratch. If needed, make the meatballs (use my meatball recipe and you’ll have about half of the batch left over for other meals) or use store-bought or your own recipe.

Add the olive oil and onions to a soup pot over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, red bell pepper, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and meatballs. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.

Add the pasta once it’s boiling.

Reduce the heat and simmer it (covered, with the lid slightly open) for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Stir it a few times to ensure the pasta isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot. Note: Some brands of crushed tomatoes are thicker than others. Add more beef broth if the soup has become too thick (this soup is meant to be quite brothy).

Stir in the basil and season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve with parmesan grated over top if desired.

Notes

Meatballs vary a lot in size and ingredients, so add as many as you think people will eat. I added 12 from my homemade recipe since they’re fairly large. Frozen (already cooked) meatballs will work fine. Just make sure they’re fully heated through before serving (165F in the middle).

Served 4-6 depending on how many meatballs are added/how hungry people are, and what else it’s served with.

*adapted from https://www.saltandlavender.com/