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This Classic Italian Wedding Soup Recipe is nutritious and comforting. It’s full of my Nonna’s Italian meatballs, vegetables, and acini de pepe pasta. Grab a warm bowl of soup and get cozy. This tasty soup is a timeless family favorite!
Serve with a warm loaf of No Knead Italian Focaccia Bread or Italian No Knead Ciabatta Bread.
Best Italian Wedding Soup
In Italy, this soup is traditionally served with broth, meatballs, leafy greens, and sometimes an egg in the broth. Then it is topped with parmigiano cheese. I add a few more veggies, like carrots and celery, in my recipe to brighten the soup. I top it with freshly grated parmigiano cheese and serve it with homemade bread. It is a humble soup that is loved by all.
This savory soup has delicious Italian flavors, and I use my Nonna’s polpette recipe, which is 100% authentic Italian. It is genuinely heartwarming and feeds a crowd. Serve it any time of the year for a delicious and hearty soup. After all, is there anything more comforting than a large bowl of hot soup?
Easy Italian soup recipes, you will love Simple Artichoke Soup Italian Recipe, Vitamix Tomato Soup, BEST Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
Fresh vegetables, a good broth, and homemade meatballs go a long way to give this delicious soup a rich flavor.
Soup
- Extra Virgin olive oil
- Yellow Onion, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Garlic cloves
- Chicken stock, vegetable stock, or bone broth of choice
- Acini di pepe pasta (or any small pasta variety- suggestions)
- Fresh baby spinach
- Freshly grated parmigiano for topping (parmesan cheese)
- Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Meatballs
- 1 recipe for Italian Meatballs
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Italian Wedding Soup
We start this soup with a simple Italian soffritto, the best base for most sauces and soups in Italian cooking. This is a hearty meal the whole family will love.
Make the Italian meatballs. Cover and set aside. You can make them and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute until veggies are soft, about 8 minutes; add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
Pour in chicken broth, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the meatballs, and reduce heat to a light boil (about medium or medium-low).
Add the spinach and cook, occasionally stirring, until the meatballs have cooked through and are tender, about 10 minutes.
Bring salted water to a boil in a separate small pot and cook the pasta according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and add the cooked pasta to serving bowls, then add the hot soup on top of the cooked pasta.
We are using my Nonna Laura’s Famous Polpette recipe for this Italian wedding soup. You can see the recipe for the meat variations in the meatballs (you can use ground turkey or ground chicken or the traditional mixture of ground beef, ground pork, and, if you can find it, ground veal).
These super tender meatballs are made with egg, parmigiano cheese, parsley, salt and pepper, and homemade breadcrumbs (stale bread) soaked in milk. Oh my! They are so delicious. I wrote a story about making them with my Nonna.
You can also leave out the meatballs in this recipe and make it vegetarian.
Frying or Boiling Meatballs for Soup
There are three ways to add homemade meatballs to Italian wedding soup. The first is frying them in a pan with olive oil to get a nice crust and then adding them to the soup to finish cooking.
Alternatively, roast the meatballs on a greased cookie sheet to get a crispy exterior crust. People fry the meatballs to seal the moisture before adding them to a soup recipe- I find it makes them tough in texture.
The other way, and the way I like best, is to cook them right in the soup: this yields nice, tender meatballs.
Make Meatballs Ahead of Time
I always make a double batch of the meatballs and freeze them for a busy weeknight.
To freeze meatballs: Place them on a baking sheet in one layer so they aren’t touching, and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer-safe container with a tight lid. Freeze for up to 2 months. Add frozen meatballs to the broth when ready to use and simmer until warm. You can also add them to homemade tomato sauce.
Soup Variations and Substitutions
There are so many variations of Italian wedding soup. Traditionally, this soup calls for bitter greens such as escarole or broccoli rabe, popular in the Napes region of Italy.
Greens. I like to use baby spinach for simplicity and a sweeter taste. Feel free to use kale, cabbage, or other hearty greens.
Pasta. Replace the pasta with beans. For a low-carb version of this soup, use a can of cannellini beans or white beans instead of the pasta. Drain and rinse the beans, and add to the broth at the same time you add the greens. Other options include grains such as rice, farro, or barley; cook them separately and add them to the soup.
Spices. I like to keep the spices simple to none and let the broth, homemade meatballs, and vegetables do the flavoring. If you wish- add a few dashes of dried herbs, such as an Italian blend, thyme, red pepper flakes, or oregano.
Cheese. Instead of the parmigiano cheese, you can add a bit of freshly grated pecorino romano cheese.
Meat. Traditionally made with meatballs, this Italian Wedding Soup can also be made with Sweet Italian sausage or Spicy Italian Sausage. Simply fry it with the soffitto before adding the liquid to the soup.
Egg. Some versions of Italian wedding soup have two scrambled eggs added to the hot broth. If you want this addition- scramble two eggs in a bowl and add them to the hot broth when adding the leafy greens. Stir the egg vigorously in the hot liquid. They egg will cook in the hot broth.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers: Place any leftovers in a tight-lid container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cook the pasta before it is ready to eat and add that fresh.
Reheat leftovers: Reheat the desired amount in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warm. Add additional water or broth if necessary.
FAQs
Italian wedding soup freezes great!
How to Freeze: Freeze soup without pasta. Place the cooled soup in an airtight container or a plastic bag (make sure to leave a few inches for the soup to expand when it freezes). Label it with the date. It can stay frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, make the small pasta of your choice and add it to the warm soup.
To Reheat: To reheat Italian wedding soup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to eat it, you will warm the soup back on the stove or in the microwave just before serving. When ready to serve, make the small pasta of your choice and add it to the warm soup.
Italian Wedding Soup is an old-world Neapolitan soup from ‘la cucina povera’, or poor kitchens, called ‘minestra maritata’. This name translates to “married soup,” not wedding soup. In Italy, we do not make this soup for weddings. The ‘wedding’ refers to the ‘marriage’ of inexpensive meat and leafy greens that make up the main ingredients in this Italian wedding soup recipe.
The pasta that works best for Italian wedding soup is a small pasta variety. Here are options for you to consider for adding to the soup.
Acini di Pepe, Orzo, Little stars or pastina, Ditalini Pasta, Small Shells
Small pasta tubes, or Macaroni Shells (elbows)
I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding a spoonful to the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup.
You can also leave out the pasta in this recipe, which is still delicious.
The name Italian Wedding Soup isn’t what we call it in Italian cuisine. I am from Italy, and I’d never heard of “Italian Wedding Soup” until I came to the U.S.A.! Italian Wedding Soup is an old-world Neapolitan soup from la cucina povera (poor kitchen) called ‘ministry marital,’ which translates to “married soup,” not wedding soup. In Italy, we do not make this soup for weddings. The ‘wedding’ refers to the ‘marriage’ of inexpensive meat and leafy greens that make up the main ingredients in this Italian soup.
Top Tips
- Soak the bread for soft meatballs. Bread soaked in milk will puff up when cooked, creating little air pockets that make these meatballs extra soft. Our family prefers bread crumbs that make meatballs tough or dry (panko breadcrumbs are an okay variation).
- Use fresh herbs – This highlights the meatballs. Using fresh herbs adds incredible flavor to the meatballs and broth.
- Fresh Parmiggiano Reggiano Cheese – Use the real deal here. It makes such a difference. Read TOP 5 Reasons Why You Should Grate Your Own Cheese.
- Oil your hands, or use a little water to help roll the meatballs. This prevents the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
More Classic Italian Soup Recipes
- Pasta e Ceci
- Pasta Fagioli
- Vegetable Soup (minestrone soup)
- Zuppa Toscana
- Italian White Bean Soup
- Pasta Soup
- Leek Soup
- Sausage White Bean Soup
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Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta, or any small pasta variety- suggestions in blog post
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano for topping, parmesan
- Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 recipe Italian meatballs
Instructions
- Make the Italian meatballs. Cover and set aside. You can make them ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 24 hours in advance.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions, and celery and saute until veggies are soft, about 8 minutes; add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the meatballs, and reduce heat to a light boil(about medium or medium-low).
- Cover and cook, occasionally stirring, until the meatballs have cooked through and are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Bring salted water to a boil in a separate small pot and cook the pasta according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes). Drain and add the cooked pasta to serving bowls, then add the hot soup on top of the cooked pasta. Alternatively, you can cook the pasta in the soup and add at the same time as the meatballs.
- Serve warm. Sprinkle each serving with freshly grated parmigiano cheese and serve with bread.
Notes
Top Tips for the Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
- Soak the bread for soft meatballs. Bread soaked in milk will puff up when cooked, creating little air pockets that make these meatballs extra soft. Our family prefers breadcrumbs that make meatballs tough or dry (panko breadcrumbs are an okay variation).
- Use fresh herbs – This highlights the meatballs. Using fresh herbs adds incredible flavor to the meatballs and broth.
- Fresh Parmiggiano Reggiano Cheese – Use the real deal here. It makes such a difference. Read TOP 5 Reasons Why You Should Grate Your Own Cheese.
- Oil your hands, or use a little water to help roll the meatballs. This prevents the meatball mixture from sticking to your hands.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Realmente espectacular adoro las sopas
I am happy you loved it.
This soup is amazing!!! I make it all the time, especially in the winter, because its just that good! SO much better than canned. I use Elena’s sausage meatball recipe for the meatballs and I make the soup as described. It’s so easy too. Delicious!
Yes! So much better homemade. I’m happy you loved it!
where’s the meatball recipe for the Italian wedding soup
Hi Anna! The recipe link wasn’t working in the recipe card. Here is the link: https://www.cucinabyelena.com/best-traditional-italian-meatballs-in-tomato-sauce-polpette/. You don’t make them in the sauce and add them to the soup instead. The link in the recipe card are now fixed. Thanks!
Perfect for a cold day. My whole family loves this soup! Even my picky eater.
Happy to hear that! It is a soul warming soup for sure!
I made this for lunch today. I can’t express how simple it was to make, not to mention fun! And it is SO delicious! My husband and I enjoyed it. Perfect meal for this rainy day on the Oregon Coast. Thank you Elena for sharing it. I love your account!
You are most welcome! So happy you loved it. ❤️
Elena I love your recipes. Thank you so much for taking the time to share them!
Are the meatballs in this recipe supposed to be baked first, following your Nonna’s recipe 🙂 or rolled into balls then dropped right into the soup?
Yes, I just drop into the soup 🙂
We really enjoyed! Will make again!
happy you loved it
I’ve made this 2 times now. It’s so simple and authentic, delicious. I just used ground beef for the meatballs and didn’t use stale bread and they STILL came out fantastic.
It is a yummy recipe! Happy you loved it.
I made this soup a month ago and my husband and I both loved it. Luckily I made double the meatballs so we could make it again soon; I just froze them. This was far better than any Wedding Soup I’ve ever eaten. The directions are just perfect and it was not hard to make.
Thrilled you love it, Nancy! It is a comforting soup to make often in these cold months. Enjoy time and time again.
Wholesome and authentic minestra maritata recipe! A must-try.
I like your recipes they are so much like my moms n grandmothers. One problem I find it difficult to getting directly to recipe. Too much advertisements n writing. It should be easier to get directly to recipe.
Hi Suzanne, at the top of the page, there is a “jump to recipe button”. You can go straight to the recipe. You will miss the step-by-step photos and other information about the recipe, but the recipe card has all you need to make the recipe. Enjoy.