Easy Italian Wedding Soup
- PREP 10min
- COOK 50min
- TOTAL 1hrs
Our Italian wedding soup recipe marries homemade meatballs, spinach, and a rich and savory broth. The type of ground meat you use is up to you. Ground beef, pork, turkey, and chicken all work well. You can use one or combine two types of meat for a more complex and tasty meatball. 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. I love the combination!
You Will Need
For the Meatballs
1 pound (450g) ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination; we prefer a 50-50 blend of pork and turkey
1/2 cup (35g) panko breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs
1/2 cup (118ml) milk, dairy or non-dairy
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 (1.8L) chicken stock
1/2 cup (113g) small pasta like Ancini di Pepe, orzo, or pearl couscous
4 cups (113g) baby spinach, substitute kale or escarole
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Handful of fresh dill, optional
Directions
Prepare the Meatballs
Stir 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.
Add 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.
Wet 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).
Heat 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
Check 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.
Stir in the garlic and bay leaf. Cook, stirring the garlic around the pan, for about 1 minute.
Pour 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.
Simmer 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.
Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Italian wedding 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.