Beef meatballs in a tomato based broth are cooked in hollowed out bread bowls, then topped with tons of gooey melted cheese. All the flavors of a meatball sub in a delicious, hearty soup!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you love a good meatball sub like I do, you are going to swoon over this hearty, over-the-top Meatball Sub Soup!
Basically, you take all the ingredients for a meatball sub, but instead of serving them in a sub bun, you serve them in a hollowed out bread bowl. I know, brilliant! I don’t know why it took me so long to think of it.
I used pre-cooked frozen meatballs, because who doesn’t appreciate a little shortcut in the kitchen, especially when you’re feeding a houseful of hungry boys like I am.
But you could absolutely make this recipe with your favorite homemade meatballs. It would probably be one of the most amazing meals of all time!
There are so many things to love about this soup. First of all, the bowl is made of bread. And then there’s all of that melted mozzarella cheese on top. And of course, the meatballs!
This soup is incredibly filling, especially with that bread bowl. If you want to scale down the serving size a bit, you could definitely use smaller, crusty rolls instead.
Just be sure to use a crusty bread so it can stand up to that meatball filling. I have the most luck finding sourdough bread bowls at my grocery store, but any variety will work just fine.
Trust me, your friends and family will not be able to stop raving about this soup. Really, any thing served in a bread bowl is a little more exciting than your average dinner fare, if you ask me.
Of course, if you can’t find bread bowls, and don’t want to make your own, you can serve this soup in regular bowls with toasted, crusty sub buns on the side for dipping.
This Meatball Sub Soup became an instant favorite when I served it at my house, and I know it’s a dish my family will request again and again.
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Frozen meatballs
- Bread bowls
- Olive oil
- Produce: onion, garlic
- Tomato paste
- Crushed tomatoes
- Beef broth
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Spices: Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, to taste
Meatball Sub Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 dozen small frozen meatballs
- 4-6 bread bowls
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Equipment
- Wooden Spoons
- Parmesan Cheese Grater
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and beef broth. Stir in the Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the meatballs, along with half of the mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese.
- Simmer the soup for 5-10 minutes while you preheat the broiler. Cut the tops off of the bread bowls and scoop out the insides.
- Place the bread bowls on a large baking sheet. Fill with soup, then top each bowl with equal amounts of the remaining mozzarella. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
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Nutrition
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