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Italian Wedding Soup Ultimate Cozy Family Recipe

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP centered hero view, clean and uncluttered

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This Italian Wedding Soup features Mini Meatball Italian Wedding Soup and Homemade Italian Wedding Soup Acini Pepe for a comforting meal. Enjoy Easy Italian Wedding Soup Meatballs in a rich broth with fresh vegetables. It makes a perfect family favorite dinner.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 slice soft bread about ¾ cup fluffed bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ lb ground beef
  • ½ lb ground pork
  • ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese fresh if possible
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 large carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 ribs celery sliced
  • 1 medium onion finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional but add nice flavor
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Parmesan rind optional but delicious
  • 1 cup small pasta I used ditalini but orzo or anything very small will work about 90 grams
  • 2 cups fresh chopped spinach

Instructions

  1. Tear the bread into small pieces and blend into fine crumbs then mix with water and let soak for a few minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Parmesan cheese, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and the soaked bread until just mixed without overworking.
  3. Form the mixture into 1 inch meatballs and set on a plate.
  4. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs about 2 minutes per side without cooking through fully, then set aside.
  5. In the same pot with leftover fat, cook chopped carrots, celery, and onion for about 5 minutes until softened.
  6. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, bay leaf, and optional red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
  7. Pour in chicken broth and add Parmesan rind, scraping browned bits from the pot bottom, then bring to a simmer.
  8. Simmer the vegetables for 5 minutes until almost tender.
  9. Add uncooked pasta and browned meatballs to the pot, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes until pasta is al dente.
  10. Stir in fresh spinach and serve immediately.

Notes

  • To reduce fat in the soup, bake the meatballs at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until browned instead of browning in the pot
  • You can double or triple the meatball recipe and freeze extras
  • The soup keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days but pasta softens over time, so consider cooking pasta separately
  • Freeze soup without pasta and add cooked pasta when reheating
  • Prep meatballs and vegetables ahead to save time

Nutrition