Description
Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting and flavorful broth-based soup featuring tender homemade meatballs, fresh vegetables, and tiny pasta. This classic Italian-American dish combines savory meatballs made from beef and pork with a hearty vegetable base and pasta, simmered to perfection and finished with fresh spinach and parmesan cheese. Perfect for a nourishing lunch or a light dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatballs
- 8 oz. lean ground beef
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs (from fresh bread not dried)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 3/4 tsp dried)
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups chopped carrots
- 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp)
- 5 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry acini di pepe or orzo pasta
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Finely shredded parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the meatball mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the lean ground beef and ground pork. Add bread crumbs, chopped fresh parsley, minced oregano, shredded parmesan, large egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Gently toss and break up the mixture with your hands until evenly combined and coated.
- Shape the meatballs: Form the mixture into very small meatballs, approximately 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter. Transfer the shaped meatballs onto a large plate, ready for cooking.
- Brown the meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook until browned on 2 or 3 sides, turning occasionally, which should take about 4 minutes. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. Note that the meatballs will not be fully cooked yet, as they will finish cooking in the soup.
- Sauté the vegetables: While browning the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped carrots, onions, and celery, and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.
- Add broth and season: Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cook pasta and meatballs: Add the dry acini di pepe or orzo pasta along with the browned meatballs to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and cook until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Add spinach and serve: During the last minute of cooking, stir in the roughly chopped fresh baby spinach until just wilted. Serve the soup warm, sprinkling each serving generously with finely shredded parmesan cheese for added flavor.
Notes
- Use a hearty rustic bread to make fresh bread crumbs by grinding up a slice in a food processor. Save remaining bread for serving or freeze for later use.
- For a brothier soup, reduce the pasta amount to 3/4 cup. Remember pasta absorbs broth as the soup sits, so you may need to add more broth if reheating.
- If available, simmer a parmesan rind with the soup for extra depth of flavor.
- This recipe makes about 12 cups of soup, serving approximately 6 people.
- Fresh homemade meatballs are preferred for best texture and flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
