Italian Wedding Soup
Mama Mia! The marriage of meatballs and petite pearl pasta in a flavorful, herby chicken broth makes Italian Wedding Soup so scrumptious!
Deliciously seasoned with herbs and spices and loaded with meatballs, pasta, and veggies, this Italian Wedding Soup recipe is a flavor-infused bowl of goodness you’ll want to make repeatedly! The nutrient-dense broth (like a fabulous homemade chicken noodle soup) is filled with carrots, onion, and celery, plus some spinach, but it’s the teeny acini di pepe pasta and seasoned mini-meatballs that make this the most amazing soup ever!
Italian Wedding Soup is Nourishing, Comforting and Satisfying!
Italian Wedding Soup doesn’t have just one “cut and dried” recipe. The meatballs can be anything from beef, pork, chicken, and Italian sausage to any combination, making this a VERY satisfying soup! The vegetables are plentiful and nourishing—we use carrots, onion, celery, and spinach, but they can vary as well! And the pasta—though traditionally the small, round acini di pepe—can also be couscouscous, orzo, or a longer pasta broken into smaller bits.
Whatever the specifics, this soup has it all! Our Italian wedding soup sticks close to the traditional recipe by using beef and pork for the meatballs (which also have Italian breadcrumbs, eggs, and parmesan), the classic soup veggies, and the acini di pepe round pearl pasta because it provides such a pleasing texture in this hearty, brothy, comforting Italian soup!
Other Recipes to Serve with Italian Soup
- Frog Eye Salad is also made with acini di pepe and is a yummy, unique, fruit-filled side dish that will be the talk of your party!
- Italian Tiramisu is an easy, classic, no-bake dessert that wows everyone!
Ingredients
Meatballs: The mini meatballs in Italian wedding soup are filled with tons of flavor! To make them, you will need ground beef and ground pork, Italian breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, minced garlic, an egg, fresh parsley, and sea salt. (These are SO delicious that you may be tempted to turn these ingredients into an Italian meatloaf!)
Pasta: Acini di Pepe pasta—tiny, round pasta “pearls” that provide flavor and a unique texture to this wonderful soup!
Soup Stock: With the beef and pork meatballs, you may be surprised to find that this is a chicken stock soup! So, you’ll need chicken broth, along with yellow onion, carrots, celery ribs, and fresh spinach.
Seasonings: Minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and sea salt give this soup oodles of flavor!
How to Make Recipe Title
STEP ONE: Combine all the ingredients for the meatballs (½ pound ground beef, ½ pound ground pork, one large egg, ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs, four tablespoons parmesan cheese, four cloves minced garlic, 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley, and ½ teaspoon sea salt). Mix well.
STEP TWO: Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop, make about 35 meatballs and set aside.
STEP THREE: Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Brown the meatballs (working in batches) for about 2 minutes. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
STEP FOUR: Add more olive oil, if needed, to the large soup pot. Add a large, diced yellow onion, three large diced carrots, and three diced celery ribs, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add three cloves of minced garlic, two teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and 1/2 tsp sea salt, and cook until fragrant.
STEP FIVE: Pour in 8 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and keep at a low boil for about 10 minutes.
STEP SIX: Lower the heat to a simmer and add the meatballs and 3/4 cup of the uncooked acini di pepe pasta. Raise the heat again to medium and cook the pasta for about 8 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and let it wilt for about 1 minute. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- This soup can easily be made ahead a day or two OR made in halves – the soup stock with veggies made the day before, and the meatballs and pasta added the day of.
- A small 4 cm or 1 Tbsp. Cookie/ice cream scoop makes the ideal-size meatballs. Since they’re soup meatballs, they should easily fit on a spoon.
- Garnish the finished soup bowls with freshly grated parmesan!
- Don’t add the spinach until the end – long enough to wilt it before serving!
- If you can’t find the acini pasta, you can substitute it with Orzo or even couscous – the itsy-bitsy pasta grains make this soup special!
- Endive or escarole can be used in place of spinach.
Why Is it Called Italian Wedding Soup?
Italian Wedding Soup has nothing at all to do with weddings. It’s not made for newlyweds. It’s not served at wedding ceremonies or receptions. So why the name?
Well, the name started in Italy as “Minestra Maritata” or “Married Soup” because the broth, meatballs, veggies, and pasta all simmer together, making a “marriage” of the ingredients into one incredibly delicious soup!
What is Acini di Pepe Pasta?
Acini di pepe is a tiny, spherical noodle smaller than a caper or a peppercorn. In fact, the name “Acini di Pepe” literally translates as “seeds of pepper.” They look a bit like tapioca pearls. Acini is round and about half the size of Orzo. Its minuscule size and shape make this pasta a fun texture for brothy soups!
Other Marvelous Meatball Recipes!
- Pecan Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Tikka Masala Meatballs
- Hawaiian Meatballs
- Thai Coconut Cocktail Meatballs
- Crock Pot Meatball Sandwiches
- Meatball Marinara Potato Skins
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ pound 85% lean ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
Soup
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery ends removed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta uncooked
- 4 cups fresh spinach rinsed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, parsley, and salt for the meatballs until evenly mixed. (I usually use my hands for this.)
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to school the meatball mixture into about 35 portions. Use your hands to roll each scoop into a ball. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Working in batches, brown the meatballs for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate, add more oil as needed, and repeat until all the meatballs are cooked.
- Start the soup by adding the onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot (add a little more olive oil if needed). Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and add the meatballs back to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the uncooked pasta and bring the heat up to medium. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another minute until wilted.
- Portion the soup into bowls and serve warm.
