Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup
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Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup
This Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup is sure to keep you warm and comforted throughout the cooler months of the year and your tastebuds will surely thank you for it. A great vegetarian option as a delicious weeknight meal or weekend addition, this soup boasts of it’s major flavor factor and comes loaded with rigatoni pasta, vegan meatballs, seasonings, bold tomato flavors and a hint of cheesy goodness as a topping! Slow Cooker, Vegan + Gluten-Free options.
This Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup brings such warmth and soul to your body with every spoonful, trust me ya'll. As SOUP WEEK on Orchids + Sweet Tea begins to come to a close, I couldn't be happier with the reception that all of my soup recipes have gotten this past week.
I hope that you enjoyed all of the array of flavors, textures, and ingredient combos that I created.
What You’ll Love Most About This Rigatoni Meatball Soup
- It’s super easy to make.
- Simple set + forget it—-Simmer, Simmer, Simmer over the stovetop! There's even a slow-cooker option!
- Only requires ONE pot.
- Makes for a great vegetarian weeknight meal with a full vegan option.
- Smooth + comforting, all at the same times.
- Super flavorful.
- Perfect Fall + Winter vibes!
- Did I mention, it’s just delicious?
How to Make Rigatoni Meatball Soup
OK, so of course, the biggest question for those who have never made this kind of soup is, how do you make it anyway? Well, it's super easy! Personally, it’s all about using broths more than just fresh water, which adds a ton of extra flavor. My go-to brand for both chicken + veggies broths is Whole Foods Market or Pacific Foods.
The process to making this soup is achieved in just a few short steps:
- Pan sear your meatballs for a nice crust. Set aside.
- Sauté your onions, tomatoes, and garlic then season. Add in liquids and other ingredients and let simmer.
- Add meatballs and pasta and let simmer some more. Season more to taste.
- Serve soup in prepped bowls, top with cheese and enjoy!
Ingredients for Rigatoni Meatball Soup
Here's what you need to make this Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup at home:
- Vegan meatballs. I love to make my own homemade meatballs, however, you can purchase a store-bought version by Gardein.
- Rigatoni. You can substitute rigatoni with your favorite pasta shape. For a gluten-free version, simply use gluten-free pasta.
- Tomatoes. You'll need about 2 tomatoes for nice color and taste. Again, choose a mix of large and cherries, if desired.
- Vegetable stock. Use store-bought low-sodium broth or make your own!
- Olive oil. You can also use Grapeseed oil or coconut oil as well.
- Red tomato paste. This is my secret flavor-enhancer and the thing that gives this dish some color.
- Red onion. Substitute with yellow or white if that’s what you have.
- White wine. Choose a dry wine that you like the taste of.
- Garlic. I prefer fresh, but you could substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- Herbs + Seasonings – A great addition of flavor. Adds such savoriness from the salt, black pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and chili powder.
- Mozzarella. I love to freshly-grate my cheese, however, you can use your favorite shredded brand---quality does matter! For a vegan option, So Delicious Dairy-Free or Violife cheese shreds tastes great.
Homemade Meatballs vs. Store-bought!
I’m hardly one who leans towards store-bought frozen versions of food, especially when it comes to vegetarian and vegan options.
However, I love making my own meatballs. For most of my meatball dishes, I use quinoa and chickpeas. I know. It sounds a bit crazy since most people like to use zucchini or mushrooms or something else, but I find using both ingredients super easy.
When making my meatballs from scratch, I often love using quinoa and chickpea. From time to time, I’ll use black beans or another veggie, but these Vegan Chickpea + Quinoa ‘Meatballs’ are my go-to!
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Meatballs
To make the vegan meatballs, you’ll quickly sautéing onions and garlic. Then, you’ll add the remaining ingredients until you have a nice thick dough. I like to use a scoop to shape evenly sized meatballs, but you can just as easily go by eyesight and use your hands to shape the cute little balls.
Then sear them until you have a beautiful golden-brown crust all over. Add them to the sauce and let everything simmer to perfection!
SHOP MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR COOKING, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS SOUP!
Here, I’ve curated a list of cooking + baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods or cooked meals, especially with this Rigatoni Meatball Soup. Everything from my fave baking sheet, dutch ovens, immersion hand-blender, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Why Won't My Cheese Melt on the Soup?
It's so important to use freshly-grated mozzarella cheese for the creamiest results in your rigatoni meatball soup. While you can use shredded cheese, it won't melt as seamlessly because it has a special "coating", which prevents it from melting smoothly. NOTE: If you only have shredded cheese, then I recommend adding it the soup while it's simmering in the last 5 minutes or so, stirring until melted and then topping it immediately after serving it into bowl(s).
How To Make Homemade Breadcrumbs
To make your own breadcrumbs, simply grind 1-2 cups of cubed bread into a food processor until finely chopped. Place crumbs onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 5-6 minutes in the oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Once brown + crisp, remove from oven and let cool. Continue recipe steps and store remaining breadcrumbs in a tightly sealed container.
How Do I Thicken this Rigatoni Meatball Soup or Any Soup?
When it comes to thickening your soup, it can be done in various ways. Firstly, this Rigatoni Meatball Soup actually thickens from the past on it's own. However, for additional thickness or if you're making a larger batch with more liquid---here are other ways:
Many recipes use yogurt, arrowroot starch, potatoes, or other starches. For this soup I sometimes choose to use a few of the meatballs (using an immersion blender) as my thickener, which adds a nice texture while not being extremely thick. For the vegan option, you can use canned full-fat coconut milk as well, however, you would need to refrigerate it for 24 hours so that it thickens and becomes cream-like as well.
How to Store Leftover Meatball Soup
Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
Can I Make this Meatball Soup Entirely Vegan + Gluten-Free?
Absolutely! To make this soup entirely vegan, simply top with dairy-free cheese shreds like So Delicious Dairy-Free or Violife for the best melting results. To make this soup GF-friendly, simply substitute rigatoni with a gluten-free version and ensure that you use GF bread or breadcrumbs for meatballs.
Delicious Rigatoni-based Recipes to Try!
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you make this Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup, tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea!
Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup
Ingredients
VEGAN MEATBALLS:
- 1 (15oz.) can chickpeas, drained + rinsed
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (Cook according to packaging!)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup vegan breadcrumbs (See Post for Homemade breadcrumb option!)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup red onion, chopped (You can also use yellow onion)
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon sea salt + black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil, for cooking + 1 Tbsp!
SOUP:
- 4 ounces quality rigatoni, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ red onion, chopped (You can also use yellow onion)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tomatoes, chopped (You can use tomato on the vine, roma, or 1 cup of grape tomatoes)
- 4-5 cups organic vegetable stock/broth
- 2 Tbsps tomato paste
- 2 Tbsps white cooking wine (You can also use dry white wine, if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Reduce to ½ teaspoon for less spice)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
TOPPING:
- 1-2 cups freshly-grated mozzarella cheese (You can also use shredded cheese; See Post for Notes on the type of Cheese!)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE VEGAN MEATBALLS:
- Start by adding onions and garlic cloves to a heated skillet (with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil) and sautéing them until they are fragrant and translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside skillet for later.
- Add the cooked quinoa, pecans, and sautéed onions and garlic to a food processor and pulse for 1 minute or so. Add the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, olive oil, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, dried parsley, black pepper, sea salt, and bread crumbs, processing everything until it grounds into a thick mixture.
- Using an ice cream scoop (or spoon), shape mixture into individual balls (further rounding them with your hands). Repeat until all meatballs are created.
- Reheat previous skillet over medium-high heat (with all the bits left in it) and add additional olive oil if needed. Add meatballs to pan and sear until nicely golden on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Remove each meatball and set aside.
TO MAKE THE SOUP:
- In a medium-sized dutch oven pot over medium high-heat, add the olive oil. Once heated, add the minced garlic, tomatoes, and chopped onions, and sauté until translucent + fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and chili powder, stirring until combined.
- Add in the veggie stock, white cooking wine, vegan meatballs, and uncooked rigatoni, stirring to combine. Let simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are fully cooked through and the pasta is tender.
- NOTE: The soup will thicken as the pasta cooks, which is why you only need 4 ounces instead of a full pack of rigatoni.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately into prepared bowl(s), top with grated mozzarella (which will melt) and with a side of bread, if desired.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
- SLOW COOKER OPTION: To make this soup in the slow cooker, simply sauté garlic, tomatoes, and onions before adding everything (including sautéed meatballs) into your slow cooker and cooking on a low setting for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
- VEGAN MEATBALLS: If you don't want to make Homemade Vegan Meatballs, you can always use store-bought ones. Gardein has a great option!
- SPICES/HERBS: If desired, you can reduce the amounts slightly. Please know that this recipe is bold in spice/herb flavor, so feel free to adjust based on your tastebuds.
- VEGAN OPTION: To make this soup entirely vegan, simply top with dairy-free cheese shreds like So Delicious Dairy-Free or Violife for the best melting results.
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: To make this soup GF-friendly, simply substitute rigatoni with a gluten-free version and ensure that you use GF bread or breadcrumbs for meatballs.
- EQUIPMENT: Here, I’ve curated a list of cooking + baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods or cooked meals, especially with this Rigatoni Meatball Soup. Everything from my fave baking sheet, dutch ovens, immersion hand-blender, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Nutrition
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LET US KNOW!
Your vegan meatballs look absolutely amazing! Definitely perfect for pairing with such a comforting and flavorful soup. Yum!
The ultimate comfort food! Love that this healthy and gluten-free! Thanks for the incredible recipe.
Gave this a try for dinner tonight and it did not disappoint! Easily, a new favorite recipe; the whole family loved it!
This sounds like such a tasty soup - I love that it is so hearty and flavourful!
Yummy! Looks so delicious and definitely going to be our favorite soon! So excited to try this recipe!