Italian Wedding Soup is a soul-warming dish that brings together the richness of browned meatballs, fresh vegetables, and delicate pasta in a flavorful broth. The process begins by crafting small, flavorful meatballs from a blend of lean ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, herbs, and Parmesan, all bound together with a luscious egg. These meatballs are then lovingly browned in olive oil until they achieve a tempting golden exterior, infusing them with a delectable depth of flavor.
The soup’s heartiness comes from a medley of diced carrots, onions, and celery sautéed to tender perfection in olive oil, releasing their natural sweetness. Garlic adds a fragrant depth to the mix, elevating the aromatic profile of the dish. The stage is set as these aromatic vegetables join forces with low-sodium chicken broth, creating a savory base that forms the backbone of this comforting soup.
The final act involves the addition of acini de pepe or orzo pasta, contributing a satisfying bite to every spoonful. The meatballs make their grand return, simmering in the broth alongside the pasta until cooked through. A burst of freshness is introduced with vibrant, chopped spinach, added in the last moments of cooking. This Italian Wedding Soup, a labor of love, is then served piping hot, garnished with a generous sprinkle of finely shredded Parmesan. The result is a symphony of flavors and textures, making it an ideal comfort food any day of the year.
Italian Wedding Soup
The BEST Italian Wedding Soup! Filled with homemade browned meatballs, fresh veggies and tiny bits of pasta. Total comfort food any day of the year!
Servings: 6
Prep 25minutes minutes
Cook 25minutes minutes
Ready in: 50minutes minutes
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.