Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding Soup is hearty, flavorful, and so easy to make! Chicken broth is deliciously dressed up with homemade meatballs, acini de pepe pasta, carrots, spinach and more. When you need a bowl of something seriously satisfying, this is the soup recipe to turn to.
Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is one of those soups that needs no side dishes. It’s a whole meal all in one bowl! It’s got protein, veggies, carbs, and tons of flavor to keep you fully satisfied. You know those meals that fill you up in just one serving but are so tasty they still have you going back for more? This is definitely one of those! It’s hard to get enough of a cozy soup that’s this good.
What really seals the deal on this Italian wedding soup recipe are the homemade meatballs. They’re so flavorful and tender. While you could always skip this step if you’re in a time crunch and just use some frozen meatballs, they’re well worth the minimal effort they require! You could also always make the meatballs ahead of time and just toss them in the soup when you’re ready to cook.
If you have a picky eater at the table, you might just be able to sneak some veggies and protein into their belly with this soup recipe. It’s kind of like chicken noodle soup… but dare I say even better! Plus, the spinach in the mix offers a ton of vitamins that the body loves. I usually toss some extra spinach in the mix because it cooks down so well. Like I said, this is a well balanced meal in a bowl!
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
You’ll love how quickly this soup comes together. For more info about ingredients and step by step instructions, scroll down to the recipe card below.
Make the meatballs:
- Prepare the beef. Use your hands to break the beef into pieces and set aside.
- Create the meatballs mixture. Add the onions and garlic to a blender and pulse until pureed. Then, combine that mixture with the stock, fish sauce, panko, parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper and egg with the beef. Use your hands to make sure it’s all thoroughly mixed together.
- Shape and bake. Shape the meatballs and place on a baking sheet. I like to make sure they’re about half an inch in diameter. Make sure they’re not touching and bake at 425°F for about 10 minutes or until browned.
- Let them cool. Remove the cooked meatballs from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Make the soup:
- Sauté the veggies. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Sauté the onions until softened, then stir in the carrots and celery. Cook for another 5 minutes or until also softened. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook until just fragrant.
- Boil. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer.
- Add the final ingredients. Stir in the meatballs and pasta. Cook just until pasta is al dente, which should take about 3 minutes or so. Stir in the spinach (or escarole) and cook until wilted. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy! Serve your Italian wedding soup with a good amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top.
Storing and Reheating
If you make the meatballs ahead of time you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then just toss them into the soup whenever you’re ready!
Have any leftover Italian wedding soup? You’re in luck – it reheats wonderfully. Let the soup cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Reheat for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring each time it stops, until warmed all the way through.
You can freeze Italian wedding soup! Just note that the veggies may not be as firm as they once were once they’ve been cooked and frozen. In the freezer, this soup will keep for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the fridge prior to reheating.
Check out more of my favorite easy soup recipes!
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Get the Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef, I used 80/20
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Vidalia or sweet onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2/3 cup acini de pepe pasta, uncooked
- 4 cups fresh escarole or baby spinach
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Equipment
- 1 stockpot
- 1 sheet pan
Instructions
Make the meatballs:
- Using your hands, lightly break the beef into pieces. Set aside.
- In a blender, add the onion and garlic. Blend until pureed.
- Add the onion mixture, stock, fish sauce, panko, parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper and egg to the beef and, using clean hands, mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Gently shape the mixture into balls into mini meatballs about 1/2 inch in diameter and place on the baking sheet being sure they are not touching.
- Bake the meatballs in a 425˚F oven for 5-10 minutes until browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. (Can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.)
Make the soup:
- Heat the olive oil in large dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until softened.
- Stir in the carrots and celery, continue to cook until softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and Italian seasoning, cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer.
- Add the meatballs and the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is al dente, approximately 3 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach or escarole and cook until wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with the parmesan cheese.
2 Comments on “Italian Wedding Soup”
Kellie,
In the paragraph “Make the Meatballs” it says to add “fish” sauce. But in the ingredients list it says to add “Worcestershire” sauce. ( I thought you should know of the mistake ).
I love all of your receipts. Keep up the great work that you do !!!!
Jim
Thank you, Jim! Yes, they can be swapped interchangeably but it is a type.