Mini Meatball Alphabet Soup is a fun and comforting soup that is full of vegetables and will be loved by your entire family!
It’s hard to think about it being soup season in the middle of August, but I love making soup year round, so I’m all about it. To me, soup is a great way to introduce or add vegetables to your little ones meals. You can chop them up really small, flavor them according to whatever you’re making, and surround them with things that you know your kids will eat!
In this Mini Meatball Alphabet Soup, the star of the show is the alphabet pasta. There’s a reason that canned alphabet soup is so popular – and it’s not because of the nutritional values. It’s because kids love food that is interactive.
What Ingredients Are In Alphabet Soup?
As the mom, I love that this soup is full of vegetables. I added onions, carrots, celery, marinara sauce, and a bunch of chopped spinach, so every bite is full of vegetables. Speaking of that marinara, it’s one of my secret ingredients to add to soup. It adds so much more flavor than tomato sauce, and you can switch it up with so many different varieties of marinara. Just watch out for added sugar – which is usually pretty easy to identify on the label.
While you can use any kind of noodle for this soup, I was pretty excited to find alphabet pasta for Lars. I couldn’t find it at my grocery store, so Amazon to the rescue! I bought this three pack, but it also comes sold in a single bag. I think rotini, ditalini, and wheels would work great, too!
The other main ingredient in this alphabet soup is mini meatballs. I wanted to make this recipe as easy as possible, so I didn’t make the meatballs from scratch. You definitely can if you want! I used the mini meatballs from Trader Joe’s, but I know Simek’s and Earth’s Best also make mini meatballs that you can find in the freezer section.
So the big question always is – did my kids eat this? YES, and enthusiastically! Soren devoured two bowls of this and Lars ate one big bowl the first night that I made this. They were also excited about leftovers and I froze half of the batch for a quick meal this fall when we are undergoing our kitchen renovation. I’m excited to know that they will be happy when I pull this from the freezer!
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Slow Cooker Meatball Tortellini Soup from greens & chocolate
Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Soup from greens & chocolate
Broccoli Pesto from The Healthy Kids Table
Alphabet Vegetable Soup from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Mexican Alphabet Soup from The Cake Chica
Yields 8-10+ kid servings, 4-6 adult servings
15 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (25 ounce) jar marinara
- 1 cup alphabet pasta
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen mini meatballs
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- Parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook one more minute.
- Add the marinara, alphabet pasta, chicken broth, and meatballs and stir well to combine.
- Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and the meatballs are warmed through.
- Add the chopped spinach, and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
- Enjoy!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Comments