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Easy Italian Wedding Soup: this recipe has tiny meatballs, veggies, and small pasta in a savory broth that is perfect for a weekday meal!
Easy Italian Wedding Soup
I love a big bowl of hot soup on a cold day. It’s the perfect meal that can simmer on the stove while you are preparing a tossed salad and a side of bread. You start of this recipe with making some small meatballs which are the star of this soup and releases flavor into the soup. This soup is also filled with mini pasta, and veggies and simmered in a savory broth.
TIPS FOR MAKING ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
- I like to use a combination of lean beef and pork for the meatballs.
- I like to pan fry the meatballs before adding them to the soup. This gives them that nice browned tasted and helps them keep their shape while simmering in the soup. You don’t need to cook your meatballs all the way through. Just give them that nice browned look and taste.
- This recipe calls for acini de pepe pasta, which are tiny balls of pasta that you should be able to find in the pasta section of your grocery store. You can also use orzo pasta if needed. We have even subbed in small shells pasta; however we prefer the acini de pepe pasta when available.
HOW TO PREPARE AND STORE
Brown the Meatballs
- Mix together meatball ingredients until combined. Shape mixture into small meatballs, only about ¾ inch to 1 inch and transfer to a 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. You just want to brown the meatballs not fully cook them.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
Simmer the Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until veggies have softened, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to your likeness and to a boil.
- Add in pasta and meatballs and simmer.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through.
- Add spinach and stir until fully wilted.
How to store leftovers?
While I prefer to eat this soup the day it is made, you can store leftovers for another day. Keep in mind that the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid so when reheating you may need to add more broth to thin it back out.
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
Yes, the only change I would make is to prepare the pasta separately and add them a few minutes before serving to heat them up.
*MEAL PREPPING FOR THE WEEK? If you want to make a large pot of soup to last all week I would boil your pasta in a separate pot as above and store it separately in the refrigerator. You can then add the amount of pasta you want to each bowl without it getting too thick. And no one likes mushy noodles 🙂
Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 lb ground beef I like to use lean
- 1/2 lb ground pork sausage
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion, diced
- 3/4 cup carrots, peeled and diced into small pieces
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup acini de pepe pasta uncooked
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- finely shredded parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Mix together meatball ingredients until combined. Shape mixture into small meatballs, only about ¾ inch to 1 inch and transfer to a 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. You just want to brown the meatballs not fully cook them.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining meatballs.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until veggies have softened, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to your likeness and to a boil. Add in pasta and meatballs and simmer.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through. Add spinach and stir until fully wilted.
Fitaraye says
Loved this, especially the broth. I didn’t have fresh spinach and used chopped frozen, it was fine but the next time I will use fresh. I decided to add more (a heaping cup), more is not always better. I ended up having to add another container of broth. Also, I decided to make a “big” batch of meatballs, was in the kitchen for 3+ hours. Make a batch of meatballs ahead of time and freeze them to lesson the time. Again, delicious, my family loved it…
Katie says
Made this for the family and it was a hit!
Karen says
A new favorite in our house, thank you!
Jen says
Today was such a cold and gloomy day that this soup was exactly what we needed to warm up. It’s so filling without leaving you feeling stuffed. So good!
Betsy says
Love the acini di pepi in here. I grew up eating this pasta in a sweet whipped cream salad. It’s got such a different and unique texture. This soup is delicious and so great for winter months!