This Italian Wedding Soup Recipe is a classic and easy meal unto itself! Mini meatballs, shredded chicken, veggies, pasta and tons of seasonings that make this soup hit the spot on any cold day!
When you’re looking for a comforting meal this classic Italian Wedding Soup is great to make for a weekday lunch or dinner for the whole family.
My Italian Wedding Soup is something that has been made by my family for years. Growing up every Monday was soup day, and boy did my Dad know how to make a delicious pot of soup. I kept the tradition going with my family, it’s one of my daughter’s favorite. She would always request the “soup with the little meatballs”.
You can also try another family favorite, my Pasta Fagioli.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Italian Wedding Soup
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Classic Comfort Food – Tender meatballs, delicate greens, and a flavorful broth come together for a soup that’s cozy and satisfying.
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Perfectly Balanced – Light yet filling, with just the right mix of protein, veggies, and pasta in every bite.
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Easy & Approachable – Simple ingredients and straightforward steps make this a great weeknight soup.
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Family Favorite – A timeless recipe that everyone at the table will happily dig into.
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Even Better the Next Day – The flavors deepen as it sits, making leftovers just as delicious.
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Strainer Spider Skimmers For Kitchen Cooking and Frying Food,Kyraton Stainless Steel Slotted Spoon Pasta Strainers Tomato Food Strainer Skimmer Ladle For Pasta.
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Ingredients for this delicious Italian Wedding Soup:
The hardest part of making this soup is rolling the meatballs, otherwise it is quite simple!
Here’s what you will need:
For the soup:
Chicken – a few boneless chicken thighs will be easy for you to shred and using thighs will deliver super moist bits of chicken. You can use chicken breast if you like, but dark meat is much more tender.
Veggies and produce – The more the better! Onion, garlic, celery, carrots and spinach. A colorful blend of flavors.
Chicken Broth – the base for this delicious soup.
Tomato paste – Adds a nice color to the broth.
Pasta – any small pasta will do, Orzo, acini di pepe, small bows.
For the meatballs:
You can use ground beef, if you want to make it lighter use ground turkey or ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, salt and pepper.
How to make Italian Wedding Soup
Prepare the soup:
In a large pot or Dutch oven sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant about 3-4 minutes. Add in the carrots and celery, cook for five minutes.
Next, add in the chicken, chicken broth, water, tomato paste, bay leave, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Prepare the meatballs:
While the broth is cooking prepare the meatballs.
In a large bowl add ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix to combine.
Roll out bite size meatballs, about 3/4 of an inch and set aside on a baking sheet until needed. You should get approximately 75 meatballs.
When the 30 minutes are up, remove the chicken from the soup and place onto a plate, shred the chicken with a fork and back into the soup it goes.
Carefully place the meatballs into the soup and give it a stir. Cover and cook for another ten minutes.
Cook the pasta in a separate pot following directions on the box of pasta.
Add in the spinach to the soup, stir and turn off the heat. Cover the pot.
Place a ladle of pasta into a bowl and top with broth filled with meatballs, chicken and veggies. Finish with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Tip:
I cook the pasta in a separate pot of boiling water according to the directions. I find it helpful so the pasta will not overcook in the soup and absorb the liquid. Also, you will be able to freeze the leftover soup without the pasta in it.
Storing and freezing tip:
You can store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 to 4 days. If you plan on freezing the soup, freeze it before you add the pasta. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and either heat on the stove-top or in the microwave.
What is Italian Wedding Soup?
The name “wedding soup” comes from the Italian phrase, “minestra maritata”, which means “married soup”. The marriage is between all the flavors of the meat, veggies and broth. YUM, so good!
What kind of meat is used for the meatballs?
The traditional meat used is a combination of 50% ground beef and 50% ground pork. You can make it a little lighter by using either ground turkey or ground chicken.
What greens can be used in Italian Wedding Soup?
Escarole is the traditional green that is used. You can replace the escarole with Kale, spinach, chard or cabbage. I prefer to use spinach hopefully you will too.
Italian Wedding Soup
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
SOUP
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 gloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 chicken thighs
2 cups water
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup small pasta, like orzo or acini de pepe
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
To make the soup:
1 – Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add in celery and carrots, cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 – Add the chicken broth, water, and chicken. Bring to a boil.
3 – Add in tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
4 – Slowly place in meatballs, stir. Cook for 10 minutes.
5 – Lastly add in spinach and stir. Turn off the heat.
6 – In a separate pot, bring salted water to a boil for your pasta. Cook pasta until al dente.
To make the meatballs:
While the soup is cooking…
1 – In a large bowl, combine ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, grated cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix with a fork until combined.
2 – Using your hands, mix until well combined.
3 – Form the mixture into small meatballs that are approximately 3/4 inch wide. Place them on a baking sheet and set aside.
