Chicken noodle soup is great and all, but have you tried Italian Wedding Soup?? This classic soup shares a lot of the same cozy ingredients as chicken noodle soup but with one huge advantage: tender and flavorful homemade meatballs! The meatballs are packed with herbs and spices that flavor the soup to make it extra special. So, if you want to change up your winter soup game, give this easy recipe a try! I think you’re really going to like it.
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“Absolutely amazing recipe, turned out lovely. Reminds me of the Italian wedding soup my mom made me as a kid :)”
Kate
Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
This hearty soup is a combination of vegetables, greens, meatballs, and pasta all simmered in chicken broth to make an incredibly flavorful and filling soup. And, contrary to how it may sound, Italian wedding soup is not named so because it’s typically served at weddings. The name is actually a mistranslation of its Italian name, minestra maritata, which translates directly to “marriage soup,” referring to the marriage of ingredients in the soup.
There’s also some disagreement over whether this dish originated in Italy or Spain, as it is popular in both regions of the world. As with most dishes that have been around for generations, there are many different variations, and today we’re making my interpretation based on what I have available.
Italian Wedding Soup
Servings 6 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs ($0.08)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($1.46)
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.05)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper ($0.01)
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage (hot, mild, or sweet)* ($3.57)
- 1 large egg ($0.83)
Soup
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.08)
- 3 carrots ($0.24)
- 3 stalks celery ($0.47)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.10)
- 6 cups chicken broth** ($0.78)
- 1/2 cup small pasta*** ($0.14)
- 4 cups fresh spinach**** ($1.30)
Instructions
- Begin by making the meatballs. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Add the Italian sausage, breadcrumb mixture, and egg to a large bowl and use your hands to mix them together until evenly combined. Divide and shape the mixture into 32 small meatballs, about 1 Tbsp each. Set the meatballs aside.
- Finely dice the onion, carrots, and celery, and mince the garlic. Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and heat over medium. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft. Add the carrot and celery and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or until the celery begins to soften.
- Add the Italian seasoning and chicken broth to the soup, stir to combine, then place a lid on top and bring it up to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, add the meatballs to the soup and continue to boil until the meatballs are cooked through (about 10 minutes). Or, if you prefer browned meatballs, you can cook them in a skillet with butter first over medium heat until browned on the outside, then transfer to the boiling soup to finish cooking.
- Add the pasta to the soup and continue to boil until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes).
- Finally, stir in the fresh spinach until wilted. Give the soup a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Notes
- A note on cooking the meatballs: You have a few options when it comes to cooking the meatballs for this soup. The easiest method, and the method that I think creates the juiciest meatballs, is to simply add the raw meatballs to the simmering soup and allow them to simmer in the liquid until cooked through (about 10-15 min.). The only drawback to boiling the meatballs in the soup is that this method does not create any pretty browned color on the surface of the meatballs. If the appearance of the meatballs is important to you, you can sauté the meatballs in a hot skillet with some butter until browned on the outside (as I do in the step by step photos below), then add them to the soup and simmer until cooked through.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Italian Wedding Soup – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the meatballs first. In a bowl, combine ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs, ¼ grated Parmesan cheese, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ⅛ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
Add one pound of ground Italian sausage (hot, sweet, or mild) to a large bowl along with the breadcrumb mixture, and one large egg. Use your hands to mix these ingredients until evenly combined.
Divide and shape the mixture into 32 small meatballs, about 1 Tbsp each. Set the meatballs aside.
Chop one yellow onion, finely dice three stalks of celery and three carrots, and mince two cloves of garlic
Add the onion and garlic to a large soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft. Add the carrot and celery and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or just until the celery begins to soften. Add one tsp of Italian seasoning and six cups of chicken broth, then stir to combine. Place a lid on top and allow the soup to come up to a boil.
Add the meatballs to the boiling soup and boil for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Or, if you want browned meatballs, melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the meatballs and brown them on each side. It’s okay if they’re not cooked through, you can add them to the simmering soup to finish cooking.
Make sure the soup is still boiling, then add ½ cup of a tiny-shaped pasta like acini de pepe, pearled couscous, ditalini, pastina, or orzo. Simmer the pasta in the soup until tender (about 7 minutes).
Finally, add about 4 cups of fresh spinach to the soup and stir it in until wilted (this should only take about a minute).
Give the soup a final taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking. Serve hot and enjoy every cozy and hearty spoonful!
What Else Can I Add?
If you want to “soup up” your Italian Wedding Soup and take it to the next level, try adding a few Parmesan rinds to the soup as it simmers for extra umami in the broth, or top each bowl with a heaping dose of freshly grated Parmesan. Use homemade chicken stock for the broth to make this soup extra special, or you can also experiment with thickening the broth with a whisked egg. One final twist that I love doing with a lot of soups is adding a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end to brighten it all up!
A delight in every bite! I look forward to making it again.
Great soup. It really hit the spot. Made 50 mini Italian meatballs froze half and the half went into the soup. Perfect for these chilly nights.
This recipe was fast and simple, and everyone in my family loves it. Thanks again
Absolutely amazing recipe, turned out lovely. Reminds me of the Italian wedding soup my mom made me as a kid :)
We made this soup for the second time this month last night! Here are some tips.
Brown the meatballs in the large Dutch oven that you’ll use to cook the soup. Set them aside on a plate while you cook the rest of the recipe.
If you are using better than bouillon, just add the bouillon paste with the Italian seasoning and mix it into the veggies like you would with tomato paste. Pour in the water after. It’ll be well incorporated.
Cook the pasta separately if you plan to have leftovers. I just put a scoop of the pasta at the bottom of my bowl and top it with plenty of soup. This helps it prevent it from getting too soft when storing leftovers. To reheat, just combine the pasta and soup and microwave for 1.5, stir, and microwave for a minute more or until hot. :)
Also—we ran out of Parmesan the first time we made this, and we just made the meatballs without it. It turned out just fine.
Made this and 10/10 recommend. Honestly, I’ll be making a bigger batch so I have more leftovers! I’m also impressed how much pasta only 1/2 cup of acini de pepe makes!
Only change I made is I’m not a fan of the texture spinach leaves on my teeth, so I swapped it out for kale and had no issues!
This was really good! I used chicken sausage and veggie broth and it turned out great! I also browned the meatballs before and it added a ton of flavor. 5 out of 5!
Amazing! It’s a new family favorite!
Made this for the first time tonight! Was delicious! Added about 1/4 more pasta and maybe an extra cup of spinach per my preference. Needs absolutely nothing more.
This turned out amazing! Is it freezer friendly?
I think that should work out fine!
So good! Such a great flavor.
Made this tonight for supper and it was delicious! Used hot Italian sausage. Probably a bit spicy for our tastes. Used a #60 cookie scoop to make the meatballs. Made 39 small meatballs. Meatballs baked on parchment paper in a 400° F oven for about 20 minutes. Would recommend turning 1/2 way through the time to get even browning. Also served the ditalini pasta on the side. Saved the pasta water after cooking the pasta for the liquid in the soup which I think gave the soup body.
Could certainly be held in a crockpot for a short time if pasta was served on the side and the spinach added just prior to serving.
Served with no-knead bread and apple salad (chopped apple, craisins, chopped toasted pecans, and a dressing of vanilla Greek yogurt).
I made this with ground vegetarian sausage and “no-chicken” stock. It turned out great.
I find that most Italian sausage from the supermarket is quite bland, speaking for Italians! I like to add additional fennel seed, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per pound of meat. I like to crush the whole seeds in a mortar or small grinder.
I used premade meatballs I already had and substituted kale for the spinach. Great flavor and fast and easy to put together. Thanks for another great recipe to add to my soup rotation!