Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Easy Italian Wedding Soup to me is, in a way, the grown-up, elevated version of chicken noodle soup.

This flavorful broth soup is filled with herbs and spices, vegetables (carrots, celery, leafy greens, etc.), mini pasta, and tiny meatballs! What could be better on a cold, rainy day?

The name Italian Wedding Soup comes from the Italian phrase minestra maritata, which means ‘married soup’. It’s in reference to the flavor produced by the combination, or “marriage”, of greens and meat. Despite its name, the soup is not traditionally served at Italian weddings!

this recipe

This recipe is perfect for meal prep during the cold months (or any time, really)! It’s one of those easy soup recipes that makes enough to have leftovers for days, which I consider a double win.

Obviously, I love to cook, but there are certain days (like today) that I just need a break so I can focus on other tasks, or just to simply have a clean kitchen for longer than a few hours!

Recipes to Pair with Easy Italian Wedding Soup:

– 51+ Fall Salad Ideas [with Seasonal Vegetables & Fruits]

– 46+ Fall Dishes for Dinner [Recipes with Seasonal Produce]

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Recipe for Easy Italian Wedding Soup

Make the Mini Meatballs

The mini meatballs are so flavorful and delicious, and you only need a handful of simple ingredients to make them:

• Ground Chicken
  
• Ground Italian Sausage (I use the spicy kind)
  
• Eggs
  
• Panko Breadcrumbs
  
• Pecorino Romano Cheese (or Parmesan)
  
• Fresh Parsley
  
• Fresh Garlic
  
• Herbs de Provence (a spice blend usually consisting of thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf)
  
• Salt & Pepper

Since the meatball recipe only calls for three-quarters of a pound each of ground chicken and Italian sausage, I sometimes sauté the leftovers and add them to my Pasta with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce for protein. So good!

Once all the ingredients are combined (I use my KitchenAid, but you can also mix the ingredients by hand), drizzle some olive oil on the sheet baking pan and make your hands oily.

Form the meatballs (smaller than you would form Italian meatballs for spaghetti, etc.) and bake them in the preheated four-hundred-degree Fahrenheit oven for about twenty-five minutes, or until they are cooked through to one-hundred sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

I keep saying mini/tiny meatballs, but they aren’t as small as they were in the soup from our favorite restaurant. To be honest, I’m just too lazy to roll double the meatballs in such a small shape. 😂

So, you can make them as small/big as you’d like! Just, don’t forget to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

The tiny meatballs are so juicy, thanks to the Italian sausage. Just look at the color of those babies. The fat from the sausage and the olive oil create that beautiful, flavorful crust on them.

Soon, we’ll be adding the meatballs to the soup, and all that flavor will soak right into it (which is why it gets even better as the days go on).

Prepare the base of the soup and pasta

While the meatballs are baking, you can get started on the base of the Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe, which is packed with nutritious vegetables and herbs!

Melt butter with olive oil, then add the celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté that for a few minutes, then stir in the seasonings and sauté for another minute (this releases the flavors and fragrances of the herbs).

Now comes the wine. Splash in your white wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. The alcohol will cook off and bring an amazing flavor and acidity to the dish.

A crisp Sauvignon Blanc works well here, but you can also use a Pinot Grigio or an Unoaked Chardonnay.

Next, spoon in the (and this is KEY) Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base. It adds so much flavor and makes it taste like a soup that has been simmering for days!

Add chicken broth (my homemade bone broth works best!), and bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down to low/medium, add the meatballs, and simmer for at least 30 minutes (I like to keep it on for an hour). The vegetables should be tender, not mushy. I’d keep an eye on them!

In the meantime, cook the pasta according to package directions in a separate pot. You can use any mini pasta that you wish.

Pictured above is tri-color pearl couscous, which I love (and had on hand), but you can also use the traditional acini de pepe, or another small-sized pasta, such as pastina, ditalini, orzo…even stars or alphabet if you really want to have some fun!

I like to cook and store the pasta for Italian Wedding Soup (or any soup with pasta for that matter) separately from the broth. I’ve found that pasta absorbs the soup liquid if you add it to the pot together.

Now that the soup has had time to simmer, add the chopped greens. I usually use rainbow chard because it’s colorful, but you can also use a different sturdy, leafy green such as kale or collards.

Simmer the greens for three to five minutes. The stems (which are perfectly fine to eat) will still have a bit of a crunchy texture, which I love.

Stir in the dill, and you’re done!

Add a small scoop of mini pasta to the bottom of each serving bowl, spoon in some of the piping hot broth/meat/vegetable mixture, then shred a little extra pecorino Romano cheese over each bowl.

Serve with a buttery toasted baguette if you wish! I just love a good, soaked bread bite. 😋

P.S. I’m in love with the bowls that the soup is in! My mom got them for me quite a while ago when I started my food blog. I’ve been saving them for the perfect recipe, and this Easy Italian Wedding Soup cut! Thank you, Mommy, I love you (since I know you’ll be the first to read this)! 🖤

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More Soup Recipes to Try:

• Chicken Manchow Soup [Healthy One Pot Meal]
  
• Roasted Garlic Miso Soup Recipe
  
• Roasted Tomato Basil and Red Pepper Soup [Cheesy Garlic Bread]
  
• Potato Corn Chowder with Bacon [Instant Pot]

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