This Keto Meatball Soup is easy to prepare, hearty, and loaded with fresh veggies and flavor. Best of all, the meatballs can be made ahead of time and it freezes nicely.
Even if you don't think you're a fan of soup, I promise you, this Keto Meatball Soup will change your mind!
It's easy to prepare, hearty, and loaded with fresh veggies and flavor. And if you're short on time, the keto meatballs can be made ahead of time or even frozen.
The meatballs
For the meatballs, I've added some sneaky veggies. I add an onion, 2 handfuls of spinach, and 3 cloves of garlic to a food processor and process until everything is in very small pieces.
Then I add the spinach/onion mixture to a large bowl along with 2 lbs. beef, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, and parsley and mix everything together.
After that, I roll the mixture into meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
And remember, you don't have to use the meatballs just for this soup recipe! They're also great on their own, as a snack, in lunchboxes, or incorporated into lots of different recipes!
The soup
While the meatballs are cooking, make the soup.
For the soup, saute carrots, onion, celery, and garlic in a heavy-bottomed pot. Then add basil, oregano, thyme, tomato paste, a bay leaf, chopped zucchini, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth.
Allow to simmer about 20 minutes to infuse all that yummy flavor.
After it's done simmering, add some balsamic vinegar for a nice depth of flavor, salt, pepper, and the meatballs. Then it's ready to eat!!!
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.
Top tips for perfect keto meatball soup
- If you would like to reduce the carb count, omit the carrot, zucchini, and reduce the onion to ½. This will make each serving have 7 net carbs.
- Don't skip the balsamic vinegar! The balsamic vinegar is my secret ingredient. It adds a depth of flavor and tart sweetness you don't want to miss!
- You can make this soup ahead of time and freeze in individual containers to eat later.
- The meatballs can be pre-made and stored covered in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or frozen up to 3 months.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Looking for more Whole30 & Keto Dinner Recipes? Check out my Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Lasagna Soup, and Healthful Pursuit's Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats
If you’ve tried this Keto Meatball Soup or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Meatball Soup {Paleo & Whole30}
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 2 Lb. Ground Beef
- 2 Handfuls Fresh Spinach
- 1 Small Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- ¾ tsp. Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
- 2 tsp. Italian Seasonings
- 2 Tbsp. Parsley
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Cream or Heavy Cream
Soup:
- 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil - or oil of choice
- 1 Small Onion - diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 1 Medium Carrot - Peeled and Diced
- 1 Stalk of Celery - Chopped
- 2 tsp. Dried Basil
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- ¾ tsp. Thyme
- 1 32 oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 32- oz. Low Sodium Beef or Chicken Broth
- 1 Medium Zucchini - Chopped into Halves or Quarters
- 1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- Salt - to taste (at least ½ tsp.)
- Pepper - to taste (at least ¼ tsp.)
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x11 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the spinach, garlic, and onion. Then process until everything is in very small pieces. Add the spinach/onion mixture to a large mixing bowl along with the ground beef, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, parsley, and coconut cream or heavy cream. Mix well.
- Roll into meatballs and place into prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until cooked through.
For the soup:
- Add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven and heat over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Saute until veggies are slightly soft, around 4 minutes.
- Add the basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, chicken or beef broth, and zucchini.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Taste soup, if it tastes flat, it needs more salt.
- Add the meatballs to the soup and serve!
Add Your Own Notes
Video
Notes
- Watch the full-length YouTube video here: YouTube Meatball Soup Video!
- Each serving is about 2 ladles of soup - approximately 1 heaping cup.
- If you would like to reduce the carb count, omit the carrot, zucchini, and reduce the onion to ½. This will make each serving have 7 net carbs.
- Don't skip the balsamic vinegar! The balsamic vinegar is my secret ingredient. It adds a depth of flavor and tart sweetness you don't want to miss!
- The soup can be made ahead of time and frozen in individual containers to eat later.
- The meatballs can be pre-made and stored covered in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or frozen up to 3 months.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- The coconut cream or heavy cream is an added ingredient to ensure the meatballs turn out juicy!
- For coconut cream, place full-fat canned coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours. Then, scoop out the coagulated cream. I recommend Sprouts, Thai Kitchen, or Native Forest brands. Other brands may not separate as well or leave an aftertaste.
Nutrition
NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber - Allulose - Xylitol
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols, xylitol, and allulose are included in the total carbs and fiber.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my
Lorrie S. says
I used ground turkey since my family does not eat red meat anymore. I should have lessened the cooking time in oven as they turned out a little dry. But when I added them to soup, I let them slowly simmer for about 10 minutes and they soaked up the soup and tasted delicious. My only change would be to either use only 1lb ground turkey for recipe. I had a lot of meatballs for the amount of soup. Or better yet, double the soup recipe ingredients and it would be perfect.
P.S. since my husband is type 1 diabetic, he needs carbs with his meals. I made some rice on the side. I added a little to my soup bowl. So good!
veronica rizo gomez says
is nutrition per serving?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Yes, the nutrition info is for one serving 🙂
-Cassidy
Lisa says
Love the concept of this soup but the meatballs have the worst texture in my opinion. I even cooked less time so that they wouldn’t be overcooked. They’re not tender the way a meatball should be, the veggie combo and the balsamic at the end is really good though
Cassidy Stauffer says
I'm sorry Lisa!
I've never noticed the meatballs being dry, but I made this recipe recently and tried adding a small amount of coconut cream and I thought they were nice and juicy! I added a note to the recipe card that coconut cream can be added for extra juicy meatballs. Thanks for your input!
-Cassidy
Patty says
This was fabulous soup! I overcooked my meatballs but they were okay once they were in the soup. The flavor was simply out of this world!
Candice says
This recipe looks so good! I have recently discovered I have a gluten intolerance and am looking for healthy paleo recipes. Very excited to explore your page. Going to be making this delicious looking soup tomorrow after I prepare my own homemade bone broth. Thank you!
Kay says
Family loved it! I made it a couple times with some ready made meatballs (not frozen) which made the recipe even easier! But I like making my own meatballs loaded with veggies! Great with a fresh loaf of bread , if you are not keto!
Brandy T says
Great recipe! Thank you!
Colleen says
So good! We made this sans carrots & celery. It was awesome. My newly 3 and almost 5 year olds cleaned their bowls too! 🙂 This is a family winner!
Claudia says
Just wondering why the potassium content is so high?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Actually, I'm not sure!! I have a program that automatically calculates the nutrition info and I tried to look at the breakdown of each ingredient but potassium wasn't listed 🙁 If I had to guess though, it's the brand of the tomatoes used in the calculation. I'd imagine you could just find some that are low in potassium 🙂 But again, I'm just guessing. Sorry!
Cindi says
Actually on Keto we need more potassium so it’s really not a deal killer?
Andy says
The ground beef and tomatoes each add a few thousand mg, the zuchinni another thousand or so, and then decent amounts from the spinach, carrot, garlic, etc. The estimate could be a bit high but overall makes sense. Potassium's super important and it can be difficult to get enough through food or even to supplement, so this recipe is awesome!
Tami says
Easy to make. My son enjoyed making the meatballs!
patty fire says
Hi! Can you use bone broth?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Yes, you can use bone broth instead of chicken broth!
Rick Yost says
Could you use frozen meatballs?
Cassidy Stauffer says
While I haven't tried it, I don't see why not! If you try it with frozen meatballs please come back and let me know how it went 🙂
-Cassidy
Sarah says
I made this with the addition of radish. I didn’t use so much onion or carrot and added cilantro, lime, and uncooked radish to the bowl. Only one word for this recipe....wow wow wow! The broth was ahhhhmazing. The balsamic adds just a bit of zing to the tomato base. This is a great soup and it is now in my weekly meals. Thank you!
Jennifer says
yep- this is a good one! Made this morning and my 13 year old even gobbled it up for lunch! I accidentally cought crushed tomatoes and it was like tomato sauce but just added a bit more chicken stock and it was perfect!
Nan says
I bet this could be done with ground chicken (which I prefer over gr. turkey) for the meatballs to lower the calories and the sodium.
Ana says
Hi I was looking for a low carb soup and I came across this post on Pinterest! In the recipe it says that it makes 8 servings. What are you using as a serving size?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Hi Ana! While I haven't measured it exactly, I think it's one very large bowl 🙂 Next time I make this I'll divide it into 8 servings, measure it properly, and come back with an update!!! Sorry I don't have an exact answer.
-Cassidy
Alicia says
Hi! Im an amateur cook. This recepie looks so good and i cant wait to try it! But sadly i dont have an oven, do you think it will taste the same if i fry the meatballs instead? Will they fall apart?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Hi Alicia!
Yes, you could try frying them but you may have trouble getting them to cook all the way through. I would recommend browning them on the stove, then adding them to the soup to finish cooking. After browning, let them simmer in the soup for approximately (not sure exactly how long!) 20 to 25 minutes or until they're cooked through. If the meatballs seem like they might fall apart, you can place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 10 or so minutes before browning. I hope this helps!!! Please let me know how it turns out!!! For more precise instructions, you can visit my Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe, it's the same method I used for that recipe 🙂
Hope that helps!
-Cassidy
GWEN M PRADERE says
Hi Cassidy....this recipe looks delicious....what size do you recommend for meatballs? Seems like a lot of meat to put in 9 x 11 pan...do you stack the meatballs?
Cassidy says
Hi Gwen! I usually make mine roughly between 1 to 1 1/2 inches around, and yes I do slightly stack the meatballs towards the edge of the pan cause it is quite a bit, lol!
-Cassidy
Michelle says
Do you need to add any eggs to the ground beef mixture to hold the meatballs together?
Cassidy says
No, they hold together fine without eggs 🙂
-Cassidy
Dottie Wilkes says
The most flavorful tasting soup. I made tiny 4 oz meatballs which I browned in fry pan first. We like spice so I added extra garlic, salt and celery flakes, onion powder and pepper. Absolutely delicious.
Mary says
Wonderful I could eat it everyday!
Lucinda says
My family loves this recipe! It is delicious and I have used the meatball recipe for other things also. I was wondering if there was a way to do the whole thing in the instant pot? If so, do you have directions or guidelines for that? Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Cassidy says
Hi Licinda!Thank you, I'm happy you like it! I'm sure it could be made in the Instant Pot, but I don't have directions for it yet. I'm going to try to get Instant Pot directions soon though, sorry!
-Cassidy
daprncs says
5 Stars all the way!!!!!!!!Thanks so much for sharing. Mama Mia this soup is fantastic! Very filling & satisfying. I grew up with Italian Grandparents. Whenever Nanny would make zuppa (soup) she always sprinkled a small amount of Parmesan on top . I did the same & highly recommend! I love the texture that baking the meatballs first versus putting them in the soup raw makes. I made them big...thinking next time I might make mini meatballs....we'll see. Thanks Again for an awesome recipe.
Remate Geisler says
Can this be made in a Crock-Pot?
Cassidy says
Hi Remate!
I don't see why it couldn't be made in the crock pot, but without trying for myself I can't give you temperature or cooking times. I'll have test it and get back with you! If you give it a try be sure to come back and tell me how it turned out!!!
-Cassidy
Deonna says
I love this soup! You can make it in an instant pot too and it comes out great! Just do the soup in the instant pot and meatballs in oven. My picky child with autism loves it too! Fabulous!