Italian Wedding Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Best Italian Wedding Soup! I used to be intimidated to make Italian Wedding Soup. I have no Italian lineage and my mom never made it growing up, so for whatever reason it seemed easy to mess up.
But I’m here to tell you it is so easy to make and following this simple recipe people may likely think it was passed down from an Italian Grandmother.
Tips for the Best Italian Wedding Soup
This is my idea of the best Italian Wedding Soup! What makes it the best you’re likely asking? It’s a number of things so here we go:
- Searing the meatballs is a game changer in my opinion. Why just simmer them in broth them when you can brown them first add add all that flavor?
- Make the meatballs small. This is soup, not a big bowl of pasta.
- Use fresh herbs. They really add great flavor.
- Stick with the combination of the two meats.
- Use fresh bread crumbs. Again we’re building better flavor. The texture of dry would throw this recipe off anyway.
- Don’t be skimpy with the garlic. This is an Italian soup. I like to use 4 cloves here.
- Bring on the parm! The shredded parmesan will really compliment the soup nicely. It may not be pictured as a finishing garnish, but don’t leave it off!
- Stick with tiny pasta, I love how it sets this soup apart.
Want to see how easy this Italian Wedding Soup recipe is? Watch the video!
What Pasta to Use for Italian Wedding Soup?
I like this best with acini de pepe. Acini de pepe are just those tiny little round pasta that can usually be found by the other pastas at the grocery store. If you can’t find them orzo will work here as well.
Can I Substitute Other Greens Here?
I prefer the flavor of the spinach best here but kale, endive or escarole are other greens commonly used in Italian Wedding Soup and they would work fine in this recipe.
If using one of those previously listed I’d recommend adding them along with the pasta as they’ll need a longer cook time. The spinach cooks almost instantly whereas those others wont.
This soup might require a little more prep than some of your average soups (such as grinding up fresh bread crumbs and shaping and browning the tiny meatballs) but the extra steps and extra pan are so worth it in the end. Hope you love it too!
More Soup Recipes You Might Like
- Creamy Tortellini Minestrone
- Gnocchi and Vegetable Soup with Pesto
- Zuppa Toscana
- Pasta e Fajioli
- Italian Vegetable Lentil Soup
Follow Cooking Classy
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 8 oz lean ground beef
- 8 oz ground pork
- 1/2 cup fresh hearty white bread crumbs*
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups 1/4-inch diced carrots
- 1 1/4 cups diced yellow onion
- 3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic , minced (1 1/2 Tbsp)
- 5 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry acini de pepe or orzo pasta**
- 6 oz fresh spinach , chopped
- Finely shredded parmesan , for serving
Instructions
- For the meatballs:
- Add beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Add in bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, parmesan, egg, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Gently toss and break up mixture with hands to evenly coat and distribute. Shape mixture into very small meatballs, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch and transfer to a large plate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally (to brown on 2 or 3 sides), about 4 minutes total.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels while leaving oil in skillet. Repeat process with remaining meatballs (note that meatballs won't be cooked through at this point, they'll continue to cook through in the soup).
- For the soup:
- While meatballs are browning, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until veggies have softened about 6 - 8 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil. Add in pasta and meatballs, reduce heat to light boil (about medium or medium-low).
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through, about 10 minutes, while adding in spinach during the last minute of cooking. Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese.
Notes
- *I recommend using bread such as a La Brea french loaf. Just grind up a slice in a food processor to fine crumbs. Save the remaining bread for serving (slathered with butter of course) or freeze for another later use.
- **If you like a more brothier soup you can reduce pasta to 3/4 cup. Note that as the soup sits the pasta will absorb more broth so you can add more broth to thin the soup as desired.