Description
Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting, hearty soup filled with tender homemade meatballs, small pasta, fresh spinach, and flavorful vegetables in a savory chicken broth. It is easy enough for a weeknight dinner and satisfying enough to serve to the whole family.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- ½ pound ground beef
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ medium white onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced, about ½ cup
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 64 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta
- 2 cups chopped spinach
Instructions
Make the Meatballs
- Add the Italian sausage, ground beef, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and egg to a large bowl.
- Mix gently with your hands until the ingredients are just combined.
- Scoop the mixture into small 1-tablespoon portions and gently roll them into about 28–30 meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Brown half of the meatballs, turning them regularly, for about 4 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the browned meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining meatballs.
Make the Soup
- Add the diced onion and carrot to the same pot.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften in the flavorful meatball drippings.
- Add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 1–2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and water.
- Increase the heat and bring the soup to a rolling boil.
- Reduce the heat and bring the soup to a steady simmer.
- Return the meatballs to the pot and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes.
- Add the acini de pepe pasta and simmer for 9–10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the chopped spinach during the final minute of cooking.
- Once the spinach has wilted, ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot.
Notes
- Serve Italian Wedding Soup hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
- Add crusty Italian bread or garlic bread for a complete and comforting meal.
- A light green salad makes a refreshing side dish.
- For extra flavor, add a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper before serving.
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
- The pasta will continue absorbing broth as the soup sits, so add a little extra chicken broth or water when reheating.
- Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm larger amounts gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- For freezing, consider freezing the soup without the pasta because pasta can become soft after thawing. Add freshly cooked pasta when reheating.
- If freezing the complete soup, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers.