The Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
This recipe for Italian wedding soup is a time honored classic and always a family favorite because it’s loaded with ingredients like mini meatballs, tiny pasta (pastina or acini de pepe) and swirls of baby spinach in an enriched stock. This easy Italian wedding soup recipe makes a whole pot of homemade wedding soup that you can eat on for days.
Table of Contents
- 1 Why do they call it Italian wedding soup?
- 2 Why you’ll love this recipe for Italian wedding soup
- 3 Italian Wedding Soup Ingredients:
- 4 Best meatballs for Italian wedding soup
- 5 Easy way to form meatballs for soups
- 6 Making the soup:
- 7 What’s the best pasta to use in Italian wedding soup?
- 8 The greens
- 9 FAQ’s
- 10 What goes with Italian wedding soup?
- 11 Italian Wedding Soup
Why do they call it Italian wedding soup?
Contrary to popular belief, this popular soup recipe is not a required menu item at Italian weddings. Minestra maritata or “married soup” is the oddball translation of what we’ve come to know as Italian wedding soup. The moniker, wedding soup, stuck because the recipe “married” affordable cuts of meat (or in this case meatballs) with fresh greens (and pasta).
A heavenly match.
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My husband requests this wedding soup recipe whenever I give him a “say” in deciding what’s for dinner and I can’t really blame him. It’s good. Really good.
Why you’ll love this recipe for Italian wedding soup
- It has a deep, flavorful broth that’s enriched with egg and parmesan cheese.
- The recipe makes a large pot of wedding soup to feed a crowd.
- Leftovers hold up well in the refrigerator.
- Kids love this soup and it’s a good way to get them to eat their vegetables.
- It’s adaptable to what you have on hand. (Hello, variations…)
- Everyone loves meatballs.
Italian Wedding Soup Ingredients:
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Garlic
- Chicken Stock from Rotisserie Chicken or low-sodium broth
- Bay Leaf
- Meatballs (I include my recipe for pork meatballs, but you can use your favorite)
- Pastina, acini de pepe or other tiny pasta
- Egg
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Fresh Spinach
Best meatballs for Italian wedding soup
Let’s be honest. It’s the meatballs that make wedding soup so special. For this, I use a very simple but flavorful pork meatball mixture, however, you can us chicken, turkey, beef or even sausage meatballs if you prefer.
How to make meatballs for soup
- In a mixing bowl combine the ground pork, sautéed onions and garlic fresh bread crumbs, chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes with a whole egg.
- Mix very well so that the ingredients are completely blended.
- Scoop out the meat mixture and roll into balls.
- Transfer the pork meatballs to a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 350° F, until they’re set.
Easy way to form meatballs for soups
Serving meatballs on top of spaghetti is very different than adding meatballs to a soup recipe. The key is the size of the meatballs you add to your wedding soup recipe rather than the type.
They need to be small and uniform in size.
Why?
They should be small because you’ll want to fit a bite of meatball on your spoon, along with broth, veggies and pasta. You know, for the perfect bite.
I recommend using a mini cookie scoop (one that holds 2-3 teaspoons). This helps to portion out the meatball mixture evenly and makes balls that will fit on a soup spoon and can be eaten in one bite.
Keep in mind that as the meatballs bake, they will shrink a bit so they’ll reduce down to perfect bite-sized morsels in that warm soup bowl.
Can I add raw meatballs to the Italian wedding soup recipe?
I don’t recommend it. Though the meatballs will cook in the soup, they also slough off denatured proteins which can mar the look of the wedding soup.
Instead, bake the meatballs and when they’re done cooking, scrape away any scum before adding them to the soup (see photo above, right).
Pro-Tip 1: If you don’t want to make everything in one day, you can easily bake your meatballs a day or two ahead of time, which makes assembly of this recipe for Italian wedding soup that much quicker.
Italian wedding soup, like many soup recipes, starts with a mirepoix of vegetables… carrots, onions and celery. Here’s how to assemble everything…
Making the soup:
- Sauté the chopped onions, celery and carrots with a bit of salt in a large dutch oven or soup pot until softened and the celery and onion are slightly translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant and softened.
- Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and bring it to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat to a medium-low and add the meatballs. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the broth and cook until al dente according to package directions.
- While the pasta cooks, combine the egg and grated parmesan cheese in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the egg mixture into the soup in a steady stream, while stirring constantly.
- Just before serving the soup, add the baby spinach and stir into the soup until it wilts.
What’s the best pasta to use in Italian wedding soup?
Use the smallest pasta you can find for an authentic wedding soup. They should be small enough that you don’t have to chew them, as you want the flecks to enrich the soup and add body, but not be a main focus.
Popular pasta choices for “married” soup:
- Acini De Pepe
- Pastina
- Orzo (is slightly larger and will need to cook longer than the others).
- Ditalini (larger still, with a longer cooking time than orzo).
- Mini alphabets – Kids love alphabet pasta and it’s small enough to work in this wedding soup recipe.
- Israeli couscous (a.k.a. Pearl) – These small round pastas are often used in avoglemono, but will work well here too).
For this Italian wedding soup, I borrow from another popular Italian soup recipe known as stracciatella, or egg drop soup. It’s made by combining grated parmigiano reggiano cheese with a whole egg and pouring the whole mixture into the soup.
The combination adds a depth of flavor with silky strands of eggy-cheesiness that are irresistible in this recipe. It does give the wedding soup a cloudier appearance, however. If you prefer a clear soup, you can skip this step, but we love the extra richness it lends to the stock.
Pro Tip: The egg mixture will cook almost instantly, so it’s important to make sure to stir while adding, otherwise you’ll get scrambled eggs, not the rich ribbons of egg and cheese that you want.
The greens
There are many types of greens and lettuces that you can use in this recipe. My personal favorite is baby spinach because it’s delicate and wilts very quickly once added to the hot soup.
However, if you’re not serving the soup immediately, or intend to have leftovers, you may want to consider a sturdier green with more staying power and chew. Here’s some options.
Delicate greens
- Baby Spinach Leaves
- Mature spinach (chopped, don’t use frozen spinach)
Sturdier greens
- Kale 2-3 large leaves (tough stems removed, finely chopped).
- Escarole lettuce, about 2 cups (finely chopped).
- Napa cabbage, 2 cups (finely chopped)
Greens to avoid:
- Any green with a strong flavor or smell profile, such as green cabbage, turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens.
FAQ’s
Partially, yes. For the best results, make the soup up to the point of adding the meatballs. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Just before you’re ready to eat, bring the soup to a simmer and continue with the recipe by adding the pasta, then egg stracciatella and greens.
The soup is good for 5-7 days in the fridge.
Yes. However, the pasta will become very soft and the greens will lose their color and vibrancy. Soup will last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
If you can find bite-sized frozen meatballs, than certainly, use them. Most brands I’ve seen are larger than that. However, some grocery stores sell packages of premade (but not cooked) meatballs in the butcher case. Buy those and re-shape them into mini meatballs for a quick cheat.
I don’t recommend it.
The flavors of Italian wedding soup are so inviting and harmonious, it’s like a warm hug in a bowl.
The tiny bits of pasta practically glide down your throat, while the tender pork meatballs are generously seasoned and the perfect meaty bite to fit easily on your spoon.
We love the bright green spinach, that’s so tender it practically melts on your tongue and the broth streaked with cheesy flecks of egg.
If you’re looking for a cozy bowl of comfort food this recipe for Italian wedding soup is the best!
What goes with Italian wedding soup?
To me, this Italian meatball soup is a meal in itself, but it also goes well with these accompaniments.
- Cheddar Chive Popovers
- Parmesan Pepper Biscuits
- Warm French Bread
- Soft Parmesan Rolls
- Crescent Rolls
- Toasted and buttered Amish Bread
- Also try it with a grilled cheese or panini sandwich.
More Italian soup recipes you might like:
- Crazy Good Italian Meatball Soup
- Sausage Escarole and Bean Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Hearty Minestrone Soup
- Kale White Bean and Meatball Soup
- Tuscan Turkey Tortellini Soup
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Italian Wedding Soup
INGREDIENTS:
For The Meatballs:
- 1 small onion very finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
For The Soup:
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 10 cups chicken broth from rotisserie chicken or low-sodium broth
- 1 bay leaf
- pork meatballs
- 1 cup pastini or other small pasta like orzo, ditalini, alphabet, or stars
- 1 tablespoon parmigiano reggiano freshly grated + more for serving
- 1 large egg
- 6 ounces fresh spinach
DIRECTIONS:
Make The Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick vegetable spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the onion and garlic and sweat until the onions soften and the mixture is fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat to cool.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine the ground pork, kosher salt, oregano, pepper, red pepper flake, egg, breadcrumbs, milk and parmesan. Add the cooled onion mixture and using clean hands, combine the pork mixture until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Scoop out meatball mixture by the teaspoon (I use a miniature ice cream/cookie dough scoop to keep the size consistent) and roll into balls. Transfer the meatballs to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through, but still soft and tender. Set aside.
Make The Soup:
- In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt. Cook until onions and celery are slightly translucent and softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant.
- Add the broth and bay leaf. Cover and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir in the pasta. Cook until pasta is al dente — according to package instructions, stirring occasionaly.
- In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese and egg and whisk together until combined. Stir the soup to create movement and drizzle the egg, cheese mixture into the soup, this will produce loose strands of the egg/cheese amalgam. Stir in the fresh spinach and heat until the spinach wilts.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
NOTES:
NUTRITION:
Don’t Forget To “Pin It” For Later!
Can you freeze the soup?
Yes! It should freeze well… We’ve never had enough leftovers to find out.
Hi….would this work using chickpea pasta? I don’t eat grains. Thanks
I’ve never made chickpea pasta, but if you cook it in liquid like regular pasta, it should do just fine.
It’s never too hot for Italian wedding soup ! Here in Massachusetts it’s 93 degrees and I made it . We have a high population of Italian Americans and here the pasta used is acine de pepe. (very tiny balls, slightly larger than pastina). I have never seen egg in this soup but that’s a great addition !
The pasta you’re using sounds perfect. So glad you like the soup. The egg gives long silky strands to the broth and slightly clouds it, but it’s delicious.
I wanted to like this – made it as a special meal for my husband- but although the meatballs were good, the broth was so bland…. honestly a bit like dishwater might taste. I’m still trying to figure out what I did wrong since I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions would be welcome!
Since the problem seems to be with the broth, I would focus on using the best chicken stock/broth you can find or use homemade stock. (I do have several recipes for homemade stock on my website — including one that uses leftover rotisserie chicken). I typically use low sodium broth as a base for this soup — so it’s possible that the broth you used needed more salt… which you can absolutely add.
I’m assuming the vegetables, pasta and egg/parm mixture were ok… You could also try a little extra parmesan sprinkled on top when serving.
I have always wanted to try an Italian wedding soup, but somehow still haven’t. This version sounds so good and so comporting, and I will definitely be trying it out now that the cold weather has FINALLY arrived 🙂
I just ran into someone who made this just last night — and she couldn’t stop raving about it. Hope you enjoy it too, Donna!
Oh man- it was hot and sunny here, and all of a sudden the temperatures have dropped into the 40s! I’m freezing! I’m going to be needing lots of soup to get through the winter (brrrr!). I love the tip about mixing an egg with Parmesan- I’ll try that!!!
We got a reasonable significant cold snap here today! Temperatures haven’t even reached 70° and it’s 3p.m. – I’m loving this weather.
This is one of my all time favorite soups. My mom has made it for me since I was a child. I also love using an ice cream or cookie scoop for making meatballs of an even size. It works so well and makes the meatballs quick to shape. Going to need a bowl of this as soon as possible! 🙂
My Mom never made this for me, but I love it, so I had to make it for myself.
I don’t eat Pork but this recipe looks so good that I am going to try it with turkey or chicken. And winters just round the corner, this one definitely a keeper.
This is one of my absolute favorite soups and now I’m wondering, why I never made it at home? Any soup that starts with onion, carrots and celery is sure going to be a delicious one! And can we talk about the addition of parm? I mean, I can have it on everything but wow, adding it to soup is the way to go!