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This Italian wedding soup recipe has homemade meatballs, tender greens, and pasta in the most perfect, comforting, savory broth.
Every time I make this Italian wedding soup, I fall in love with it all over again. The meatballs are perfectly tender and juicy on the inside, and the broth is incredibly flavorful.
Making this soup is simpler than you’d think and absolutely worth the effort for one of the tastiest bowls of soup I’ve had in a while! For more like this, you may enjoy our turkey meatball soup with orzo.
Key Ingredients
- Ground Meat: You can use your favorite ground meat, such as beef, turkey, pork, or chicken. I love combining ground pork and turkey for the meatballs. The pork makes them really juicy, and the turkey keeps them light.
- Meatball Mixture: These Italian wedding soup meatballs require ingredients similar to those used in our Italian Meatballs. You will need breadcrumbs, milk (dairy or non-dairy), and an egg to keep them moist in the middle. Then, you’ll stir in Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper to add lots of delicious flavor.
- Pasta: Any small pasta shape works, although we prefer to use Acini di Pepe if available. Orzo or pearl couscous are great substitutes.
- Veggies: I love a base of vegetables in this wedding soup, so I add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and fresh spinach leaves to the broth. As a substitute for spinach, consider kale or escarole.
- Broth: I use chicken stock for this soup, but a rich vegetable broth would be lovely. I love homemade chicken stock, bone broth, or this vegetable broth.
- Fresh Herbs: Right before serving, I love stirring fresh green herbs in the soup and especially enjoy fresh parsley and dill.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Italian Wedding Soup
Tip 1: Making the meatballs. These meatballs are incredibly easy to prepare. Mix everything until blended and then form into small meatballs. I use a small cookie scoop to portion them out, then roll them with damp hands until smooth.
Tip 2: Brown the meatballs in the soup pot. To add lots of flavor to your soup’s broth, brown your meatballs in oil directly in the soup pot you plan to use for making your soup. As they brown, they will leave little bits of stuck meat and spices on the bottom of the pot. Scraping up those tasty browned bits from the bottom adds incredible flavor to the broth. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that extra flavor!
Tip 3: Finishing the soup. When the meatballs are browned on all sides, transfer them to a plate and continue making the soup. You’ll sauté the veggies first, add stock, simmer, and then finish with the pasta, browned meatballs, and spinach. It all goes quickly! Before serving, stir in a handful of fresh herbs, and then enjoy!
More Italian-Inspired Soups
Easy Italian Wedding Soup
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Our Italian wedding soup combines homemade meatballs, spinach, and a rich, savory broth. The type of ground meat you use is up to you. Ground beef, pork, turkey, and chicken all work well. When we make this recipe, we love to combine ground pork and ground turkey. The pork makes the meatballs super juicy and rich, and the turkey keeps them light.
6 Servings
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
For the Meatballs
1 pound ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination; we prefer a 50-50 blend of pork and turkey (450g)
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs (35g)
1/2 cup milk, dairy or non-dairy (118ml)
1 large egg
1/4 cup (14g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1/2 ounce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
For the Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced, 2 teaspoons
1 bay leaf
8 cups chicken stock (1.8L)
1/2 cup small pasta like Acini di Pepe, orzo, or pearl couscous (113g)
4 cups baby spinach, substitute kale or escarole (113g)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, optional
Directions
- Prepare the Meatballs
1Stir breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the egg, parmesan cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended.
2Add the ground meat, and use a fork or your fingers to gently mix everything until combined. Try not to overmix for the most tender meatballs.
3Wet your hands and form the mixture into ½-inch balls (about 2 teaspoons). You should get about 35 meatballs. A small cookie scoop is useful here (see our video).
4Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Place the meatballs into the hot oil and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Depending on the shape or size of the pot, you may need to do this in two batches. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate.
- Make the Soup
1Check the bottom of the pot used to brown the meatballs. If there is a lot of oil/fat left, remove most of it. Place the pot back over medium heat, and then add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
2Stir in the garlic and bay leaf. Cook, stirring the garlic around the pan, for about 1 minute.
3Pour in the stock and bring to a low simmer. Use a spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Taste the soup, then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. You may need 1/2 or more teaspoons of salt, depending on the stock used.
4Simmer the soup for 20 minutes, then add the pasta and browned meatballs. Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
5Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Storing: This soup can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze the soup as a make-ahead meal, leave out the pasta, as it can become mushy when thawed and reheated. When reheating, add dry pasta and cook fresh.
- Dairy-free meatballs: Substitute the milk for unsweetened dairy-free milk and the cheese for 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
- Gluten-free meatballs: Substitute the bread crumbs for crushed gluten-free cereal or crackers
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We included 8 ounces of turkey and 8 ounces of pork for the meatballs.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1 of 6 servings
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Calories
372
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Total Fat
16g
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Saturated Fat
5.5g
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Choletserol
90mg
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Sodium
625.3mg
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Carbohydrate
31.2g
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Dietary Fiber
3g
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Total Sugars
4.5g
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Protein
27.3g
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