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Italian Wedding Soup is easy and delicious, a real crowd pleaser on a cold day! Tender mini meatballs, flavorful broth, hearty greens, vegetables and tiny pasta make a bowl of comfort food that is warming and satisfying.

Italian Wedding Soup with meatballs, kale and acini de pepe in a white bowl.

What is Italian Wedding Soup?

Despite the name, this soup doesn’t have anything to do with weddings. The name comes from a mistranslation of the Italian Minestra maritata which means “married soup”. In this case, “married” refers to the flavors of the meat, vegetables and broth marrying or melding together. This version with meatballs and greens is a decidedly American version, most likely adapted from an Italian soup by immigrants who could not find the same ingredients they would have used in the original soup. So this is not actually a soup that is eaten at weddings, and whether it is Italian is up for debate.

Ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup Meatballs: Ground beef, ground pork, egg, panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper.

Meatballs for Italian Wedding Soup

To make this recipe easier, I decided to bake the meatballs, as I normally do for all of my meatball recipes. This makes the meatballs more hands off instead of having to stand over the stove browning meatballs in a pan. I like to make the meatballs very small as it makes the soup easier to eat. Use a teaspoon to portion out the meat mixture. You should have 40-45 mini meatballs.

Meal Prep Tip

Make a double batch of meatballs and freeze half of them. Next time you want to make Italian Wedding Soup, it will come together super fast because the meatballs will already be done. Just throw the frozen meatballs into the soup to warm up.

Ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup

For the meatballs

  • Ground Beef and Ground Pork – the mixture of beef and pork makes a very flavorful meatball. If you prefer not to use beef and/or pork, feel free to use a mix of ground turkey and ground turkey or chicken sausage. You may also use 100% beef or pork, but the flavor is better with a mixture.
  • Egg – for binding the meatballs.
  • Panko breadcrumbs – also helps with binding as well as adding tenderness
  • Fresh grated parmesan cheese – I strongly recommend grating your own using a microplane.
  • Garlic -minced, for flavor.
  • Dried oregano – you may also use Italian seasoning, or another of your favorite dried herbs if you prefer.
  • Kosher salt and pepper – don’t leave the salt out or the meatballs will be bland. Pepper is optional but recommended.
Ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup - Carrots, onions, celery, garlic, olive oil acini de pepe, salt, pepper, kale, chicken stock.

For the soup

For a simple but flavorful broth, you only need a few ingredients

  • Chicken Stock – I did not use low sodium. If you use low sodium, you will probably need to increase the salt added to the broth. Taste at the end of cooking and add more salt as needed.
  • Olive Oil – for sauteing the aromatics
  • Aromatics – onion, celery, carrots and garlic form the base of the soup
  • Acini di Pepe – a tiny pasta. If you can’t find this exact kind, another small pasta such as orzo, pastina, or ditalini will also work.
  • Lacinato Kale – also called Tuscan Kale or Dinosaur Kale. I prefer this type, but a curly kale will also work. I like to use kale because it is heartier and holds up well in a soup without overcooking or getting mushy. You may also sub with another hearty green if you wish. Spinach will also work, but it cooks much faster so if using spinach, only add it in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
  • Salt and pepper – depending on how salty the chicken broth is, you may need to adjust the salt to taste. If using no or low sodium chicken broth, you will need to add more salt.
Italian Wedding Soup with kale in a white Dutch oven.

Helpful Equipment for Italian Wedding Soup

  • Dutch Oven – I use this to make soups and stews – I love my Le Creuset but a less expensive option is THIS one that I used for years.
  • Sheet Pan – A good sheet pan is essential for a home cook, and THESE are the only ones I use. I have used the same ones that I received as a wedding gift over 10 years ago.
  • Microplane – I am a microplane evangelist. If you don’t have one, yet, get one! They are a game changer. In this case it is for grating parmesan cheese, but it has many other uses.
  • Freezer containers – I usually freeze some soup every time I make a batch. It is great to have in the freezer for a day you need a quick lunch or dinner. I like THESE, they are also great for dropping meals off with other people.
Italian wedding soup with mini meatballs and kale in a white bowl.

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Italian Wedding Soup

Prep 30 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Servings 8 Servings

Ingredients 

For the meatballs

  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or panko
  • ยฝ cup grated Parmesan
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
  • ยฝ teaspoon black pepper

For the Soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 3 celery ribs diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
  • 8 cups chicken stock
  • 4 cups Kale, chopped into pieces and stems removed
  • ยฝ cup acini di pepe Can sub with another tiny pasta such as orzo
  • Grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions 

  • Line a sheet pan foil or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the meatballs, combine the ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan, egg, oregano,1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and mix gently with your hands until everything is combined
  • With a teaspoon, drop 1 inch meatballs onto the prepared sheet. Roll each meatball into a ball. Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
  • In the meantime, prepare the soup. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt and sautรฉ until softened and starting to turn golden 6-8 minutes.
  • Add the chicken stock, increase heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the kale and simmer about 2 more minutes. and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. If you used No or Low Sodium Chicken broth, you will probably need to add more salt to taste. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

Notes

Leftovers:ย  Allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can also be frozen.ย  Freeze in airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months.ย  Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a pot on the stove over medium low heat.ย 
Substitutions: ground beef and pork can be replaced with ground turkey and chicken sausage respectively, or you can use all beef or all pork.
Kale can be replaced with spinach, however spinach cooks much faster, so add it only in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.ย 
I did NOT use low sodium chicken broth. If you use No or Low Sodium Broth, you will need to add more salt to the soup to taste.ย 
ย As a time saving tip, I recommend making a double batch of meatballs, freezing half and using them to make another batch of soup next time.ย 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1366mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4973IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And donโ€™t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!
Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesnโ€™t need to be complicated.

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