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This Pesto Meatball and Pastina Soup is a family favorite! It features tender meatballs swimming in a basil pesto-infused broth with pastina, a type of very small Italian pasta. There is something just so lovable about the tiny pasta in any dish, and it adds just a gentle touch to this soup. It’s exactly what I want to eat when the temperature cools down.
This soup kicks off the start of #DDSoupWeek 2025! For the meatballs, I like to use ground turkey or chicken for a leaner, lighter flavor, but you could definitely use pork or beef instead. You can use store-bought or homemade pesto, but I love to keep a batch of my Lemon Basil Pesto in the freezer for recipes exactly like this one. If you’re grabbing some from the store, be sure to grab a fresh version from the refrigerated section rather than a jarred version in the pantry section for the best possible flavor and texture. Some grated Parmesan cheese adds even more savory flavor to the mixture. You’ll sear the meatballs until they’re evenly browned, but not quite cooked all the way through since they’ll finish cooking in the soup.
I like to use the same pot that I seared my meatballs in to make the rest of the soup—those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan add so much flavor. To serve, garnish with fresh basil, more grated Parmesan, and a few cracks of black pepper before getting cozy with a hot bowl of soup.
Ingredients:
- Ground Turkey
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Large Egg
- Basil Pesto
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onions
- Large Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic Cloves
- Acini Di Pepe
- Dry White Wine
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Parmesan Cheese Rind
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Fresh Basil Leaves
step-by-step:
step one: make the meatballs
In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, and pesto. Mix until well combined, then roll into 1-inch meatballs.
step two: sear the meatballs
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. The meatballs do not have to be fully cooked through as they will continue to cook in the soup later. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate and set aside.
step three: sauté the veggies
Add more oil to the pan if it seems dry, then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.
step four: toast the pasta
Add the acini di pepe and cook, tossing to lightly toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and scape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and pesto and stir until well incorporated into the soup.
step five: finish cooking the meatballs
Add the meatballs and any of their juices back into the pot along with the cheese rind and bring to a rapid simmer, 3 to 4 minutes. Once simmering rapidly, reduce the heat so that it is just gently simmering. Cover and cook, simmering gently, until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are fully cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.
step six: season the soup
Remove the cheese rind and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
step seven: garnish and serve
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Finish with fresh basil, more grated Parmesan, and a few cracks of black pepper. Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
Any other small pasta will work here. Stellini (aka pastina) is a great alternative, but ditalini also works.
Yes! You could make this soup up to 24 hours in advance, but I’d recommend undercooking the pasta by a couple of minutes. It will continue to absorb some of the broth as it sits (and once it’s reheated), so this will help it from turning soggy. Reheat with additional broth as needed.
Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Yes! You can freeze this soup for up to three months. Just be sure to leave an inch or two of room in your container(s) since the soup will expand when it’s frozen. Let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge before reheating. You may need to adjust the consistency with a little more chicken broth.
I hope you’ll make this Pesto Meatball and Pastina Soup to celebrate #DDSoupWeek 2025. Comment below and let me know what you think!
looking for more cozy soup recipes? try these!
Greek-Inspired Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta
Gochujang and Coconut Shrimp Noodle Soup
Pesto Meatball and Pastina Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
For the Soup:
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 cup finely diced carrot
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup acini di pepe
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Fresh basil leaves, for serving
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Make the Meatballs:
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, and pesto. Mix until well combined, then roll into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. The meatballs do not have to be fully cooked through as they will continue to cook in the soup later. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate and set aside.
Make the Soup:
- Add more oil to the pan if it seems dry, then add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 6 minutes.
- Add the acini di pepe and cook, tossing to lightly toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and scape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and pesto and stir until well incorporated into the soup.
- Add the meatballs and any of their juices back into the pot along with the cheese rind and bring to a rapid simmer, 3 to 4 minutes. Once simmering rapidly, reduce the heat so that it is just gently simmering. Cover and cook, simmering gently, until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are fully cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove the cheese rind and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Finish with fresh basil, more grated Parmesan, and a few cracks of black pepper. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
This soup was delicious! Comforting and hearty but not too heavy. And I’ve already made another batch of the lemon basil pesto to freeze for later.
So glad you think so! It really does hit the perfect balance!
Absolutely delicious!
This was amazing! I almost forgot the torn up basil leaves and they added so much!! It has a hit in this house!!!
This recipe is a true 5 star. It’s delicious. It’s comforting. It’s pretty easy to put together. My mom had surgery and wasn’t eating much. I made this and she loved it and it brought her appetite back. For me, I’m normally “soup is not a meal,” but this is so satisfying that this is absolutely a meal.
Aw this makes me so happy to hear!
Could you sub Pearled couscous if you can’t find the Acini de Pepe?
Yes! It may just take a little longer to cook.
Before I make this wonderful sounding soup I would like to know if the nutritional information is for the entire soup recipe or per serving. Seems very high in all categories if it is a per serving calculation.
The nutrition facts are per serving, but keep in mind that they’re an approximation!
So good. Whole family loved it (13 and 10 yo) and devoured it to the point we had zero leftovers. I used ground chicken to make the meatballs, everything else I followed to a T.
Delicious and very family friendly (such a relief to not cook two meals 😮💨)! Didn’t have white wine to deglaze, so used chicken broth. I did find that it needed a lot more salt at the end, but once it was to my taste, I couldn’t get enough of it.
Made this tonight. Followed recipe exactly* and no notes. Sooooo good. Kids liked it too. Will be eating this through winter. Thank you, Alex!!
*the only thing we did differently is accidentally made our meatballs way too big for soup so just broke them up when adding to the soup so it’s more of ground turkey situation.
Ha no one ever complained about oversized meatballs!
This looks delicious! What steps can I prep ahead of time to make this a quicker dinner? Make the meatballs ahead of time?
Hi Chelsea! Honestly you can make the entire soup ahead of time and just reheat it gently on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes. Otherwise, you can definitely form and sear the meatballs in advance, then just store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the rest of the soup.