Try this hearty and healthy Meatball Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash for dinner, or lunch. It's a perfect combination of sweet and savory! This recipe is made ade with all natural ingredients, including using water vs. meat stock as a base for the soup.
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Though we make it year-round, the beautiful orange hue in the soup gives off cozy autumn vibes! A nice hot soup, just like this Hearty Pickle Soup Recipe, or this Simple Seafood Soup Recipe, in the fall or winter will definitely warm you up!
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Why this recipe works
- Rich Flavor: The savory meatballs combined with the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and butternut squash create a rich and satisfying flavor profile.
- Comforting and Hearty: Like these Chili-Filled Meatballs with Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce, this dish is perfect for colder days. It can warm you up and make you feel cozy and satisfied.
- Leftover-Friendly: This soup often tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld.
- Great for Meal Prep: Like our Parmesan Pasta with Roasted Vegetables it's great for meal prepping. You can prepare a large batch of this soup and and even freeze individual portions for later.
Ingredients
- Ground Meat: I used ground veal, but you can use beef, pork, turkey, chicken or a combination. Ground veal and beef result in a richer, more "fatty" broth due to their higher fat content, while ground chicken and turkey makes a leaner broth.
- Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash: Add heartiness. Both sweet potatoes and butternut squash add natural sweetness to the soup.
- Egg: acts as a binding agent that helps hold the meatball mixture together. It also makes it easier to shape meatballs by providing a slightly sticky texture that allows the mixture to hold its shape when forming the meatballs.
- Cilantro: like in this Mexican Style Meatloaf and our Healthy Turmeric Oven Roasted Vegetables, cilantro adds fresh and earthy tones to the dish.
- Tomato Paste: adds a vibrant red color to the soup. It's also rich in umami, the "fifth taste" that provides a savory and satisfying quality to the soup's flavor profile.
see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions and variations
- Cilantro: Cilantro brings so much additional flavor to this soup! If you don't like cilantro, it can of course be substituted for parsley or dill for some extra aroma. Or, you can leave it out altogether.
- Vegeta Seasoning: I love using Vegeta seasoning in my soups. I use it in my Simple Cabbage Soup Recipe and in my Simple Seafood Soup Recipe. It's made from a blend of dehydrated vegetables, herbs and spices. But, you can use any soup seasoning mix, all an all-purpose seasoning mix. Dash seasoning is another great option.
- Add some spice: add a little bit of ground turmeric, ground ginger, some hot paprika. Be careful not to make it too spicy. Add a little, give it a taste, and then add more if needed.
- Make it vegan/vegetarian: The soup can be as hearty without the meatballs. Just add more sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
Preparation
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, chopped onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix the ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
STEP 2: Add cooking oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high. Add the garlic and saute for about 20-30 seconds. Add the carrot, a pinch of salt and stir in the tomato paste. Saute until the carrots have softened.
STEP 3: Pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a medium. Season with Vegeta seasoning and the remaining salt. Form the meat mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter, or slightly larger. Gently add each meatball to the water as you form them. Avoid stirring too vigorously to prevent them from breaking apart.
STEP 4: Add the sweet potato and butternut squash pieces and lower heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the meatballs have floated to the top and the sweet potato is fork tender. Then stir in fresh cilantro. Give it a taste and add salt if needed. You can also stir in some spices here (a little bit of ground ginger or turmeric, cumin is great).
Top Tips
- Don't overmix: Mix the meat and other ingredients gently to avoid tough meatballs.
- Rolling the meatballs with damp hands will prevent the meat from sticking to your hands.
- Consistent size: Form meatballs of equal size to ensure even cooking.
- Let the soup simmer to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed before serving.
Sometimes a pinch of salt can make all the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prepare the meatballs in advance and store them in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. This can save you time when you're ready to make the soup.
If the soup is too thick, add more water (and then adjust the seasoning) to reach your desired consistency. If it's too thin, you can thicken by simmering it uncovered to reduce the liquid.
Yes, you can use frozen butternut squash or sweet potatoes if fresh ones are not available. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Serving suggestions
This soup can be a meal on its own, but you can serve it with a side of crusty bread, a fresh green salad, like this Spring Vegetable and Berry Salad or this Citrus Avocado Salad Recipe or a simple side dish, such as this Turmeric Couscous Salad Recipe that's also great as a side.
Storage and reheating
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it. It should stay fresh for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it for longer storage.
To reheat, transfer the desired amount of soup from the refrigerator to a saucepan. Heat the soup over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating and to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the soup reaches your desired temperature, it's ready to serve.
Try these other ground meat recipes
If you tried this Meatball Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Meatball Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. ground veal or any other ground meat, or combination of meats
- 1 egg
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Soup Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 carrot medium, peeled and grated, or diced into ¼ inch or ½ inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 cups water cool tap water or boiled from the kettle
- 1 teaspoon Vegeta seasoning or other seasoning such as Dash
- 1 pound sweet potato peeled and diced into ¼ inch or ½ inch cubes
- 1 pound butternut squash peeled and diced into ¼ inch or ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients: ground meat, egg, chopped onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix the ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
- Add cooking oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high. Add the garlic and saute for about 20-30 seconds. Add the carrot, a pinch of salt and stir in the tomato paste. Saute until the carrots have softened - 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the water and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a medium. Season with Vegeta seasoning and the remaining salt.
- Form the meat mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter, or slightly larger - so long as they are the same size. Using damp hands helps. Gently add each meatball to the water as you form them. Avoid stirring too vigorously to prevent them from breaking apart.
- Add the sweet potato and butternut squash pieces and lower heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the meatballs have floated to the top and the sweet potato is fork tender.
- Turn off heat and stir in fresh cilantro. Give it a taste and add salt if needed. You can also stir in some spices here (a little bit of ground ginger or turmeric, cumin is great).
Notes
- Don't overmix: Mix the meat and other ingredients gently to avoid tough meatballs.
- Rolling the meatballs with damp hands will prevent the meat from sticking to your hands.
- Consistent size: Form meatballs of equal size to ensure even cooking.
- Let the soup simmer to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed before serving.
Sometimes a pinch of salt can make all the difference.
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