By combining elements of a few different Italian wedding soup recipes, I was able to create the ULTIMATE Italian wedding soup recipe — one that my whole family loves. Check out the rave reviews!
We were standing in the soup aisle of Target, and my tear-streaked five-year-old was looking forlornly at the spot where “Favorite Soup,” used to reside. For a year, I’d been scooping up every box of her favorite Italian Wedding Soup I could get my hands on during our bi-weekly trips to Target.
The entire soup section had been made over, and there was no sign of the beloved Archer Farms Italian Wedding Soup she’d eaten for lunch at least three days a week. I promised her that we’d find another Italian wedding soup just as good; and if not, I’d replicate it myself.
The search was long and arduous. We tried brand after brand and none of them matched up. Some had carrots (the horror), others had no pasta (unacceptable), some were too salty, some were too bland, and some were banned by me because the ingredients were unpronounceable.
My mom made a homemade version that nailed the same flavor as the original, but it got a “thumbs sideways” because of the too-big meatballs, the use of escarole instead of spinach, and the lack of “tiny pasta balls” that made Favorite Soup the all-time favorite.
I took the recipe my mom used (from Giada DeLaurentis) and tweaked it to recreate the long-lost Italian wedding soup that my daughter was pining for.
The upside to making it myself was that I could use good, quality ingredients, and I could eliminate the parmesan cheese to make it dairy-free so that my other daughter with food allergies could enjoy it as well. Plus, I had another easy family dinner to add to my repertoire.
We all loved it, and I’ve been making it in double-batches ever since. This soup is delicious, comforting, and hearty enough for dinner, especially if you serve it with a salad and some good, fresh crusty bread.
Freezer Cooking Tip:
Now that I know that my Italian wedding soup recipe is a winner, I always double the meatball part of the recipe, and freeze half of the meatballs for later so that I can quickly make another batch. To do this, just form the second set of meatballs on a baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the freezer.
Once the meatballs are frozen completely, put them into a gallon freezer bag. The next time you want to make this soup, just boil the broth, toss in the spinach, frozen meatballs, and pasta, and cook until the pasta and meatballs are done.
What Kind of Pasta to Use in Italian Wedding Soup:
If you can’t find Acini de Pepe (the name of the tiny pasta balls I use in this recipe), any sort of small noodle will do, such as ditalini or small shells. Someone in the comments suggested substituting Israeli couscous, which is also a great idea.
Use a Food Processor to Speed Things Up:
If you own a food processor, you can make this recipe even faster by grating/chopping the onion, parsley, garlic, and even the bread right in the processor.
If you don’t own one, no worries! It can still be made quickly and easily using a regular grater and a knife. (By the way, if anyone’s in the market for a food processor, here’s an affiliate link to the 11-cup food processor I use. I’ve had it for years, and I love it!)
Avoiding Greasy Broth:
I prefer to use lean pork and beef in this recipe to cut down on grease in the broth. Another alternative is to skim the fat from the broth prior to serving. Some commenters suggested pre-cooking the meatballs in the oven to eliminate grease, but I personally like to cook them directly in the broth because it adds great flavor.
FAVORITE ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
A delicious Italian Wedding soup recipe containing pasta, meatballs, spinach, and a flavorful broth.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion grated
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 slice white bread crusts trimmed, grated or shredded
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan optional
- 8 oz lean ground beef
- 8 oz ground pork
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 1 box frozen chopped spinach
- approx 6-8 oz of Acini de Pepe or other tiny pasta*
- 2 tbsp parmesan optional
Instructions
- To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Then add the cheese, beef, and pork. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs, and place on a baking sheet. I prefer the meatballs to be on the smaller side, but you can make them any size you want.
- To make the soup: Bring the broth and frozen spinach to a boil in a large pot. Add the meatballs (uncooked) and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure they don't stick. Add the pasta and continue cooking at a low boil until both the pasta and meatballs are cooked (approx 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving, if you wish.
Recipe Notes
*I use about 8 oz, but we like a lot of pasta in our soup, so use less if you'd prefer it more brothy.
After you’ve made this soup, comment and let me know! Also, be sure to check out my family’s other favorite soup: AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PASTA E FAGIOLI
Catherine says
Reading this through beforehand, I expected it to be on the boring side. Wow, was I wrong! This is a perfect example of amazing flavor via simplicity.
I had a Muslim coming for dinner, so couldn’t use pork and had a pound of ground lamb in my freezer. Using the lamb and beef together was fantastic — I highly recommend it for anyone who avoids pork, for whatever reason.
Thanks so much!
Alyssa says
Wonderful, Catherine! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Susan says
What would you suggest to make this gluten free? There is celiacs disease in my household. I was thinking rice or quinoa.
Alyssa says
I think a small gluten free pasta would probably work best!
Shannon says
My daughter has Celiac and I was thinking of making this with corn instead of pasta. And gluten free bread crumbs in the meatballs. The soup sounds delicious!
D'OnKaMiNoOr says
Hi !
I got your recipe from pinterest.
I did it tonight and it was delicious. Unfortunately we don’t have the pasta you’re talking about. I took the smallest pasta I found.
Very funny to make an italian soup, seen on an american blog, in Mauritius …
Thanks for this recipe. For sure i’ll tke time to go through your blog and will try others soon.
Nica says
My family enjoyed this recipe, thank you for sharing it! The only thing I added was 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning to the broth and I used ground Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage for the pork. My pasta was slightly undercooked at 12 minutes so I turned it off since I knew it will continue to cook in the hot soup. We ate the soup with a slice of sourdough toast –Yum!
Victoria says
Hello my name is Victoria. This has been one of my favorite soups growing up and I was super excited to try and make it myself. I followed your recipe except I used all fresh ingredients so I had to cook them before putting them in the soup. I added kale, green bean, and potato to the soup just to add more substance. Turned out amazing! Thank you!
Alyssa says
Thanks so much for your comment, Victoria! I love the additions you made…I’ll have to try that out myself!
Jean Barley says
Does putting the meatballs right into the broth and cooking create too much grease, instead of pre-baking or -frying?
Alyssa says
Hi Jean – I do cook the meatballs right in the broth, but I typically use lean ground beef and pork to avoid too much grease.
Beth Andre says
Cooking the meatballs in the broth gives the soup its distinctive flavor. If you cook them first, all you have is a bland chicken soup with some spinach floating around. You can skim off the fat if it’s too much.
Sandy says
I followed the recipe and it is amazing. I did think there was too much grease floating around though. Next time I will pre-boil the meatballs in a different pan that is a mixture of water and a tablespoon of boullion and then add them.
Michele says
refrigerate the soup until the grease congeals on top, scrap off most of the grease. DO Not take all the grease out or you will have bland soup.
Colleen Platt says
I have been looking forward to making this soup, collecting ingredients etc. Looked at the recipe again today and was amazed at the amount of salt! YIKES! This does not work with my low sodium diet as one serving has more salt than I am allowed in a day! So bummed!
Alyssa says
Hi Colleen – You can easily reduce the salt in the recipe by using a low sodium broth and reducing the salt added to the meatballs, or using a salt substitute.
Lara says
There is a brand of stock called Kitchen Basics, they make unsalted stocks. They are really low sodium, especially compared to regular stocks, and even ones labeled low sodium. This what I always use for everything, never had an issue. I stock up on the unsalted chicken whenever my local store has it on sale, but they do have it on Amazon too.
Gloria says
I make this soup all the time but under no circumstances would I ever use store-bought broth. Making your own chicken broth is so much better tasting and doesn’t have the sodium and chemicals commercial broth does. 1 teaspoon salt for eight servings is quite low. It’s about 287 g of salt per serving. Throw a cut up chicken into a pot of water, add carrot, celery, onion , and a Bayleaf and you’ve got broth in an hour.
Alana says
How much spinach is in a package? I want to use fresh spinach.
Alyssa says
Hi Alana – If you’re going to use fresh spinach, I’d just eyeball it. It just depends how spinachy you’d like it. 🙂 I’d probably start with about 2-3 cups.
Peggy says
I’m excited to try this recipe, can a crockpot be used?
Alyssa says
Hi Peggy! You can probably use a crockpot to keep the soup warm after it’s made, but I recommend making it on the stovetop.
Gloria says
I would definitely not recommend using the crockpot for this recipe. I tried it both ways and theLong cooking time in the crockpot tends to lose a lot of flavor. This recipe doesn’t call for long cooking so there’s no reason to use a crockpot. Stick with stovetop on this one, I think you’ll be much happier. This is an outstanding recipe.
Joe says
Second time making it. Always comes out excellent. Great and easy recipe.
Have you ever considered boiling Chicken thighs and once they’re done dry them, bread them and bake it for some baked chicken and soup? Mother always did that as a super budget meal instead of buying the stock.
Danyel Hane says
I did half beef half Italian sausage for the meatballs and it was delicious!!
Lara says
Could you ballpark how many meatballs do you make out of a batch? You said you preffered smaller, which I do too. I just made a double batch and I made what I considered small, one bite, fit on a spoon, meatballs and it seems like a LOT. Double batch was 100 meatballs, so 50 per batch. They smell wonderful, can’t wait to try the finished soup. Thanks
Beth says
100 sounds about right. I used a melon scooper, small end, and made about 150. Used half in one batch of soup, froze the rest on a cookie sheet and then put them in a baggie when they were frozen. Had some baby spinach leaves I had bought for salad and used them in the soup for the greens. Delicious!
Alyssa says
Yes, it does make a lot of meatballs if you make them on the small side. But I like to freeze any extra. If you get tired of making meatballs, you can even freeze a big handful or two of “meatball mixture” and then thaw it out at a later date and roll it into meatballs. Hope you loved the soup!
Nathan Potter says
I just want to say that this is amazing, and not just because it’s amazing (sorry…little joke on my part)!!
I have an extreme allergy to dairy. Immediate anaphylactic shock kind of allergy. I’ve often seen recipes for Wedding Soup, but they’ve always had so much dairy that it would be pointless to make it. Even with the Dairy Free cheeses and milk, it was too much of a costly venture. Dairy Free stuff isn’t cheap.
Then, I came across your recipe. Only Parmesan cheese. I was ecstatic! I ran to Whole Foods, grabbed the (obviously) Dairy Free cheese, and made this recipe. I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!! It was delicious and it only lasted one night!
I will definitely be making this again, probably doubling or tripling it. The whole house LOVED it.
Thank you so much, Alyssa. I’ll be following Good In The Simple from now on for ideas!!
Alyssa says
That’s great! My daughter is allergic to dairy too, do I’m always aiming to cook without it. You should try the pasta fagioli recipe…dairy free, yet tastes really creamy. Thanks for your comment!
Phyllis Schiavo says
MY HUSBAND WAS BNORN IN ITALY AND HIS MOTHER WAS A GREAT COOK, I AM ITALIAN, POLISH AND MY MOM WAS THE BEST (OF COURSE I’DE SAY THAT) BUT SHE LIKE MY MOTHER-IN-LAW DID THE SOUP THE OLD FASHIONED WAY BY USING FRESH CHICKEN TO MAKE THE BROTH. I WAS A FLORIST BEING OPEN FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK AND HAVING 2 SMALL CHILDREN, I ALSO HAD ALL THE HOLIDAY MEALS, ONE DAY I SAID HECK WITH THIS AND BOUGHT BROTH IN A CONTAINER AND DID JUST AS YOUR RECIPE!!! WOW EVERYONE LOVED IT EVEN MY VERY ITALIAN HUSBAND AND HIA PARENTS. I PUT THE CONTAINERS IN THE GARBAGE BAG AND DID NOT TELL A SOUL (MY SECRET) IT MAKES A BEST SOUP AND NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THE BROTH.
Italian at heart says
I used Swanson’s 33%less sodium broth, left over Alton Browns lamb,pork,beef meatballs, and some baby arugula I had on hand… It certainly did in a pinch. It turned out great. Of course one day I’ll make the correct recipe, but for now we’re enjoying this one!!!!
I think the meatball releases it’s flavor into the soup anyway. Even when prebaked. Mine did.
Dorothy says
I followed the recipe. Perfect! Thank you. I will make this again.
Erika Cain says
I made this recipe. It is excellent!! Thank you very much. The only thing I did different is add carrots, because my little ones let me. 🙂
Dagny says
Thanks for this soup recipe. I first had Italian Wedding Soup years ago and had the desire to make my own batch recently. This recipe makes the perfect serving size. I made some alterations on my second attempt at this soup. I cut out the salt altogether, make my own chicken broth and used fresh grated Parmesan. It turned out beautifully! This recipe is definitely one to keep for years.
Thanks,
Dagny
Jess says
Hi Alyssa,
I only have ground beef in the fridge (not pork too). Are there any recipe recommendations you’d give if I just use beef?
Looking forward to trying it.
Alyssa says
Hi Jess! I think it would be OK to make it just using beef. The meatballs might be less tender, but they will still be good. We recently made the soup using just ground turkey, and it came out fine!
Erin says
Totally substituted little ABC pasta. Lol
Alyssa says
Love it!! 🙂
JoAnn says
Made the soup yesterday, a double batch of meatballs, one for the soup and the rest for the freezer . I was thinking why not use a melon ball tool to get the meatballs small, with less work, try it saves time Love the soup Thanks
Alyssa says
Yes – that’s a smart idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup. 🙂
Gloria says
This is a wonderful recipe and I love it. Have made it several times but I freeze the entire batch of soup rather than just the meatballs. I always make a double batch so I can freeze it in pint mason jars. Takes about three minutes to defrost in the microwave and I’ve got soup when I want it. It really does freeze beautifully.
Beth Andre says
Melon scoop works great. You still have to shape the balls a little, but the melon thingy scoops out just the right amount. Made 2 batches, took all afternoon but it’s worth it, used the bigger end of the scoop to make some larger meatballs for spagetti too.
The recipe is delicious, but I couldn’t find acina de Pepe so I used orzo. Bad idea! It started out the size of rice and ended up over l/2 inch long. I had to strain out most of the orzo when refrigerating the leftovers. Where can I find Acina de Pepe?
Alyssa says
Hi JoAnn! In the post I have a link to where you can buy it on Amazon if you can’t find it at a local grocery store. Or you could look for the tiny star pasta that some stores sell. Any super tiny pasta should work.
Trudy says
Why couldn’t you use pearl couscous? It looks just like the acini de pepe, which I’m afraid I’ve never heard of.
Alyssa says
Hi Trudy – You could definitely use the pearl couscous as a substitution, and some people have mentioned that they have. I think the Acini de Pepe is just a little bit smaller.
Gloria says
I use pearl couscous because acini do pepe is hard to find. The couscous works perfectly.
Maria thies says
I make the meat ball with lean ground turkey..and I use kale instead of spinach.but either way either
Is excellent.
Gloria says
Just saw your recipe on Pinterest and freaked! I had been making Giada DeLaurentis’s wedding soup for years and recently lost the recipe. When I saw this one and the fact that this was also her recipe tweaked, I couldn’t believe it. This is truly the best wedding soup I have ever had. I always make enough to freeze about for Mason jars. Like you, I don’t put the pasta in till I’m ready to eat it but I don’t always have acini de pepe so I substitute with pearl couscous. I always use fresh spinach, homemade chicken broth and fresh parsley.
Going to print out a couple of copies and keep one on my iPad on my Pinterest board so I never lose it again. Thank you so much.
Jane says
Hi Alyssa, I’m so excited that I found your site. I just made an Olive Garden knock off recipe for Pasta E Fagioli…and it wasn’t bad. But afterwards I wanted to see if there were any authentic Italian recipes online so I typed it in and your site was the first one on the list. I became so excited just looking at the picture of your dish. I then saw that you had a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup and I was in heaven. I wrote down both recipes and can’t wait to try them. I just have one question about the wedding soup. My husband has high cholesterol problems so I’m concerned about boiling the meatballs in the soup mixture. When I make regular meatballs I boil them (place in boiling water until they float) and then add them to my sauce. This allows me to boil out much of the grease from the meat. Will I lose flavor if I do this with the wedding soup? I could boil them in a low sodium soup stock instead….what do you think? And thank you for this site.
Patti says
I’m hoping she answers. I’m curious about the amount of oil in the soup since you are cooking the meatballs in the broth so there is no opportunity to drain the fat.
Alyssa says
Hi Patti! I try to use ground beef/pork with a low fat percentage, and in that case the fat isn’t an issue. Occasionally I have used meat with a higher fat level, and in that case I just let the soup sit on the stovetop for a while and then skim some of the fat off of the top. Hope that helps!
Mary says
I have made her recipe several times now, but I bake the mini meatballs of beef and pork on a cookie sheet in the oven. After baked,,I lay them on a paper towel to draw out any excess fat. I also like them to have a bit of color from the baking! Excellent recipe!
Marcia says
You can use 90 – 95% Hamburg. It has hardly any fat. Boil in low sodium bouillon or low sodium broth/stock.
mike says
i put the meatballs on a large deep dish pizza pan, lined with non stick foil.
put them in the oven @ 400f just long enough to cook them med-rare, about 8 minutes for 1/2″ meatballs, about 14 minutes for 3/4″ meatballs.
this will render most of the fat out of the meatballs, and they will finish cooking in the soup without loading it with fat.
Kari S says
Turned out great! Will definitely make again.
Jessica says
I never come back to comment on recipes I find on Pinterest, but this soup was so amazing, I just had to. Everyone in my family (including the kids!) had a second bowl. The only thing I did differently was use 3 handfuls of chopped fresh baby spinach, instead of frozen, and I used 16oz of the triple meat mix you find at the grocery store (beef, pork, veal mix) since I couldn’t find ground pork by itself. Next time I will maybe use only 6oz of acini de pepe, instead of 8oz to make it a little more broth-y, like you suggested. Seriously, probably one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Thank you!
Alyssa says
I appreciate you taking the time to comment, Jessica! I sometimes use fresh spinach, too – depends what I have on hand. I’m so happy that you loved the soup. 🙂
Andrea says
Great, easy soup to throw together! Next time I will make the meatballs smaller like you showed in your photos. Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
Laura says
I have made maybe 1 comment in my life on a blog but I just HAD to comment on this recipe. I made it tonight and it was absolutely amazing. SO GOOD. Like someone else mentioned, I couldn’t believe how flavourful it was with such a short ingredient list. The only thing I changed was using breadcrumbs, as I don’t keep bread in the house, dried parsley, and I used a bit more garlic because I love garlic. I am freezing most of the leftovers (no big family here) so that I can keep it at work and have delicious, homemade soup for lunch. I’ve never frozen soup, so I hope it works. Thanks again for this recipe, I look forward to trying more from your site!
KAREN f LOGAN says
soup freezes well, so you shouldnt have a problem.
Leanne Mihalchik says
This soup is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was worried it wouldn’t have much flavor because of the lack of ingredients – but wow! The meatballs flavor the broth up better than I believed it would. I only have tiny shells for pasta in the pantry – wish I had the anci de pepi or ditalini. Will make sure to have those on hand as I will be making this soup again and again and again!!!
Alyssa says
So glad you loved it, Leanne! I agree – it’s one of my favorite recipes because it’s so flavorful with just a handful of ingredients. Do the double-batch of meatballs (and freeze half) next time and it gets even easier! XO
Christina says
Can you partially precook the meatballs and safely freeze them to finish cooking in the soup at a later time?
Alyssa says
Hi Christina – You could, but I don’t think it would be necessary. Just freeze them raw and then they will still cook in the soup pretty quickly.
Kirsten Stembridge says
Omg! I’m Italian and of course I love to cook. I made this last night and yummy! I did use low sodium chicken broth to lessen the sodium intake but everything else stayed the same! Thanks for the awesome recipe
Jp says
Hello
Sorry if someone asked but instead of one slice of bread can bread crumbs be used ? If so how much ? I don’t keep bread in the house so it’s a waste to buy for one slice. Also can dried parsley be used ? How much ? Thanks !
Alyssa says
I would estimate it’s about 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. And dried parsley can definitely be subbed in. I’d use about 2 tbsp.
Tammy C says
You are my hero! I made this today and it was amazing. My daughter’s wisdom teeth are coming in and they are very painful. This was perfect for her to eat and she LOVES Wedding soup. Thanks for sharing.
Alyssa says
That’s so great, Tammy! We haven’t dealt with wisdom teeth yet, but my daughter has had to deal with braces being tightened and I know how hard it is to find a soft meal that works for sore teeth. Thanks so much for commenting, and I hope your daughter’s pain goes away soon! XO – Alyssa
Tammy C says
I guess I will be making again this week. My daughter needs her wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. This is soft comfort and very good soup.
Ramona says
How funny! I just read the comments (after already starting this soup) and MY daughter just had her wisdom teeth removed 2 days ago and I’m making this for her. Looking forward to eating this!
Hélène says
I’ve been looking for this for years, Campbell’s makes one, but I refuse to pay $2.50 for a can, barely a 2 serving. Can’t wait to make it. It’s my husbands favorite.
Alison says
I am wondering if the small pastas soak up the chicken broth? I have made a soup in the past and that happened.
Thank you
Alison
Justine Adams says
I am wondering the same thing
Alyssa says
The pasta does absorb some of the broth as it cooks, but it’s still a very “brothy” soup, if that’s a word. 🙂
Laura says
That’s happened to me before too. One way around it is to cook the pasta seperately and add to the soup afterward. OR if you plan on freezing the soup, don’t add any noodles in at all. Keep the noodles in the pantry and whenever you want some soup, cook fresh pasta to toss in!
Can’t wait to try this soup! It’s cold outside! 🙂
Kim says
When I make any soup with pasta, I cook the pasta separately so that it doesn’t soak up the broth. I put the cooked pasta in a bowl then label soup over it.
If there are leftovers, I store it separately also. Otherwise the pasta continues to soak up broth and gets mushy and soup becomes like a stew.
Alyssa says
I agree that pasta can soak up the broth in some soups, but that’s never been an issue with the acini de pepe. Even when I reheat leftovers, the pasta is always firm and doesn’t get mushy. If you use a different type of pasta, however, it might be a good idea to cook separately like you mentioned.
Tammy C says
I do the same thing. Cook the pasta then add the soup on top.
Tanya Anees says
I made this recipe in my instant pot tonight for dinner and it was amazing!!!! Only took 10 minutes! Super delicious!
Alyssa says
Oooh, I’ve never used an Instant Pot before. I’m intrigued!! 🙂
Dany says
Can I ask how you converted this to the Instant Pot? I just got one and have been wanting to try this recipe out in it, but I’m not sure exactly what steps I should follow. Would love to hear how you did it!
Alyssa says
I haven’t attempted this recipe in the Instant Pot yet. It’s pretty quick on the stove, so I’ll probably continue to do it on the stove top for the time being. 🙂
Tara says
I was going to make the meatballs the night before and throw everything in the crock pot before work in the morning, and leave it on low all day. What tips would you have for doing this and would it work?
Alyssa says
Hi Tara – I’m not sure how well this would work in a crockpot. But if you make the meatballs the night before and freeze them on a cookie sheet, the soup comes together really quickly. All you’d have to do before dinner the next day is boil the broth, throw in the pasta, meatballs, and spinach, and it will be ready in about 15-20 minutes.
John Del says
For full disclosure; I just want to say that spinach is one of my favorite greens, both cooked and raw in salads. BUT, this soup screams for escarole. I’m not a fan of bitter greens one bit but escarole totally changes the flavor of the soup into the traditional Italian Wedding Soup. Other than the escarole, I followed this recipe and it was a major hit. The advice to double the meatball recipe is brilliant. Next batch I’m going to increase the amount of meatballs in the soup (and make them a touch smaller) and make a double batch to freeze for the next time I make this.
Alyssa says
Hi John – I know escarole is what’s traditionally used in wedding soup, but my girls thought it was too bitter and they preferred it with spinach. If my kids are willing to eat greens in any form, I don’t argue!! 🙂
christine flynn says
In my version, I use escarole, and make turkey meatballs, and my pasta is orzo. It is delicious! Christine flynn
Kim says
Agree on the escarole! I grew up eating this soup. My Nana and mom always made it and for me, it has to have escarole.
I always buy extra escarole, clean and chop it and store in the refrigerator along with extra meatballs. I make enough soup for 2-3 meals and this way, there is always fresh escarole and meatballs to add for the leftovers!
For the meatballs, I roll and drop into broth. That’s how my Nana did it and I’ve been doing the same!
Great to see this simple and delicious recipe! Love knowing others are falling in love with this soup that has always been my comfort food.
Michelle says
I made your wonderful recipe. My family loved it! I’m glad I took your advice and doubled the number of meatballs. I’ve put them in the freezer and have them ready for round two. I used my own well-seasoned homemade chicken broth. Simple and delicious!
Jenny Block says
Oh and thank you for the food processor tip! I just wish I had listened and made a double recipe of meatballs!
Best,
Jenny
Jenny Block says
Thank you so, so much! This is one of my all-time favorite soups and I have been searching for the best recipe. Clearly I have found it! Just made it for lunch today and my finace keeps kissing me and saying thank you every time she walks by me!
Best,
Jenny Block
http://www.thejennyblock.com
Lauren says
This soup is absolutely delicious! Someone I know was talking about making Italian Wedding Soup and I couldn’t stop thinking about making my own for days. Your recipe looked and sounded really tasty, and it most certainly was, I can definitely see this going into my soup rotation. Cheers!
Nicole says
Hello! My little girl loves Italian Wedding soup but we are not meatball eaters…would it taste as wonderful without the meatballs in it? Thank you!
Alyssa says
Hi Nicole – I’m afraid it wouldn’t taste the same because the meatballs flavor the broth while they cook in it. But you could probably get a good result using a chicken noodle soup recipe and swapping the noodles with the little pasta balls, plus adding some spinach.
Megmor98 says
I have a similar recipe that calls for a can of beef broth. That may help with the taste if you don’t use beef, but dont mind using beef broth.
Lori says
I made the meatballs with white meat ground chicken instead of beef. It was delicious. Maybe a healthier version. Could also use ground turkey. We always make chicken meatballs with spinach and feta mixed in yummmm!!!
Stacey says
My apologies if someone all ready asked this, but can you make the meatballs with ground turkey?
Alyssa says
I haven’t tried it in this particular recipe, but I’ve swapped in turkey for other meatball recipes with success. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Karen says
May I use sausage instead of meatballs?
Alyssa says
I think you could combine sausage with beef or pork, but I wouldn’t use just sausage or it will make the soup too greasy & salty. If you do use sausage in place of either the beef or pork, just be sure to omit the extra salt, and also use low sodium broth.
John says
I believe you’re asking if you can simply eliminate the meatballs and use sausage instead (rather than using sausage meat to make the meatballs out of), correct? Sausage in Italian soup is definitely doable without too much grease or salt. I use it all the time.
The way I would apply it to this recipe would be to cook the sausage alone in the bottom of the soup pot until fully cooked, then remove. Wipe the pan free of all the rendered sausage fat. (If it’s stuck on the bottom you might need to use a glug of cold wine, vinegar or lemon juice while the pan is very hot to remove it; then drain all this reduction out and wipe away; some cooks would keep it though!).
Then proceed to make the soup. While the soup is cooking you cut the sausage links into slices, drain, and add back to the soup. If that’s still too much grease, you can rinse the cooked sausage after cutting it into pieces.
The higher quality Italian sausage you use, the less fat it’s likely to have as well. I can’t guarantee this would qualify as Favorite Soup, but it’s definitely less work if you enjoy italian sausage. I’m sure you could use Italian sausage not formed into links just as easily, too.
De says
You mention that you have a dairy free eater — was she OK with the pasta? We need to avoid lactose and milk is in so many pastas.
Making this today — it looks so yummy.
Alyssa says
Hi De – I don’t ever think I’ve seen pasta that contains milk, unless it’s cheese-filled like ravioli or tortellini. The typical grocery store brand pastas don’t contain any milk.
karen says
I just found your site. I would like to make this soup for a group coming over for Bunco. We have one person allergic to dairy. Is the pasta easy to find? It is 12 people so is doubling the recipe enough?
Thank you
Alyssa says
Hi Karen! I don’t have trouble finding the acini de pepe pasta, but some people have had a hard time depending where they live and/or the size of their grocery stores. If you can’t find it, you could substitute Israeli couscous or ditalini (another small pasta), or even orzo. I’d recommend tripling the recipe for 12 people…it might be too much, but you can always freeze the leftovers. 🙂
HR says
This was super delicious. We kept going back for seconds. I was surprised at how flavorful it was given the few simple ingredients. Followed your suggestion and doubled the meatballs. This is a new staple in our house! Thanks for sharing!
Dawn says
I was wondering can I use 1lb sausage instead of the red meat? My daughter doesn’t eat red meat.. Thanks.
Alyssa says
Hi Dawn – You can use sausage, but just make sure not to add the additional salt in the recipe or it will get too salty. – Alyssa
Angie Palazzo says
My daughter uses escarole instead of spinach for her wedding soup. It isn’t quite as bitter. Tastes great.
Linda says
I am making this do you use all meatballs rolled from 8 oz pork and chop meat ? When you were referring to freezing extra would that have been 1 pound of each?
Alyssa says
Hi Linda – The meatballs are a combination of ground pork and ground beef. If I’m making a double batch of meatballs, I use one lb of pork and 1 lb of beef, and also double all of the other meatball ingredients.
April says
Can this be frozen and thawed for work lunches?
Alyssa says
Yes, I think it would freeze well.
April says
Awesome! Thank you! Excited to try it.
Angela says
Ok , I like your recipe however here is mine and comes from my Aunt Mary just the sweetest woman on earth.
Yes , and its a pain to make. But , I think you will love.
1 , make your meat balls , cook your way in the broth , I bake mine off.
2 , boil a chicken or half chicken , season , save broth , shred chicken
3 , stew meat cut up into bite size pieces and boiled in seasoned water , save broth
Now take the meat balls , shredded chicken , and the beef add to one big pot.
Add the chicken broth , beef broth 1/2 and 1/2 will do
Add diced onion , celery , and carrots , these veggies should be fine chopped
bring to boil let simmer (note if you don’t want celery in soup for the celery haters , or onion haters I I add it to meats while boiling and just discard . ) unless someone is allergic of course other than that I just trick em. I need that flavor.
Add spinach at end
my Aunts wedding soup never had any pasta and i never ask why , just the three meats and the fine minced veggies added. IMHO the combo of the chicken broth and beef broth make this wedding soup the best on the planet LOL . Just kidding , I do hope you try my Aunt Mary’s recipe , I have gotten rave reviews on this soup from soup haters , I think because of the three meats in the soup.
I will, however , be using a pasta the next time I make this soup this coming winter.
Hope you enjoy , Peace , Love and Light Angela
Michelle Wilson says
I made this soup and it was really good. I also used up my frozen home made chicken stock from my freezer and it was delicious. I made a big batch of Ina’s chicken stock and freeze for soups. This recipe is a great weeknight dinner.
Alyssa says
I bet it was awesome with the homemade stock. I love Ina! 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Michelle!
Sara says
I found the Giada DeLaurentis recipe a little over a year ago and adapted it to suit my taste and it’s pretty much exactly how you make it! 🙂 (except I use “small bows” pasta -I like confetti pasta, but it’s hard to find and my fam prefers the small bows- and I roughly chop up fresh baby spinach instead of frozen and dump it in a few minutes before I serve it. It’s one of my go-to dishes and is always a big hit in our house! 🙂
Sherry Marciante says
This recipe really is the best. Making this soup for the second time, we love it!
Thank you xxoo.
Alyssa says
Thats awesome…thanks, Sherry!!
Debra says
Alyssa, i love to eat this soup,but i eat i the cambpells soup, and the healthy request. I was lookin for the nutrition on your recipe,couldnt find it. Could u plz tell me the calories and carbs and sodium for yours. Thank you..
Planofoodie says
This soup is fantastic!! I was a little worried about the onion/meat ratio — but it works!!
Alyssa says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Sally says
I made this just as posted and did the 8 oz pasta. I now have the best wedding soup recipe!! Thanks
Alyssa says
Yay!! Thanks for your comment, Sally!
Chaquita says
I just experience this soup last week and it is by far one of my favorites, i had the soup with the meatballs, the soup is great withoit the meat but the taste of the meat. I look forward to making it at home but using chicken instead of the beef. Great soup.
PJ says
YES! This IS the BEST Italian Wedding Soup recipe EVER! I’ve tried others, but to no avail. Only difference with my variation is that I definitely use couscous & my family’s recipe for Italian sausage meatballs ? Thank you ever so much for posting this recipe!
Alyssa says
I bet your family’s meatballs are amazing! 🙂
Karen says
Add about a teaspoon of cavenders seasoning and drop in a scrambled egg when it’s just done….makes broth SO good! Been making this for years!
Ann Drury says
Our first encounter with this soup was at East Side Mario’s restaurant. It too became my daughter’s favourite soup. I was having a conversation with a coworker about cooking and somehow this soup came up and he told me he had a recipe for it. It came out of an old family cook book. this was 10 years ago. I have since tweaked that recipe until it suited my daughter’s taste to the one at the restaurant. It is very similar to yours. What I can’t figure out is how you can prepare that many meatballs in 30 min.
My meatballs are about a teaspoon each. Which means I get about 250+ meatballs to a pound of meat. This usually takes me an hour and that’s even when I put the straw in my wine glass so I don’t have to stop and wash my hands.(lol)
Alyssa says
Hahaha! I usually recruit everyone in the house to help with the meatball rolling process. It goes quickly that way. And wine definitely helps, too. 🙂
gramofgreat says
I first ate Italian Wedding Soup at a funeral dinner for my father-in-law. They served many different soup on this bluster January day. I was not going to try it. My uncle-in-law said to it was delicious. It looked like dirty dishwater but WOW it was so good.
I have made it many times since. My daughter is grown and still her favorite soup. Sent it to college often with her. Took to her when she was ill.
I use barley or quinoa instead of pasta. We prefer spinach. Also like the shredded chicken with it.
We are fortunate to have a meat market that makes very good tiny meatballs.
Pattie Blair says
Love Italian Wedding Soup so I attempted this – only the second soup I ever made! It was delicious and your instructions made it so easy. This will certainly be one of my “go to’s” come fall.
Alyssa says
Yay – I’m glad you loved it! 🙂 We just made it again this week — had to fit it in one more time before it starts getting too hot!
Joni says
This is a fine receip and I used it to get some of the ingredients so I can make it from scratch. I have had my daughter in laws moms receipt but couldn’t remember all the ingredients. She makes the meat ball with ground turkey, bread crumbs and an egg, I agree on the double batch and freezing half. She also boils a whole chicken for the broth plus a couple of bouillon Cubs, i am using if needed chicken broth. Carrots, sm amt of celery, the acini de peps #44 the #78 to too small, spinach, chicken chopped to sm bit size pieces from the boiled chicken. Let the meatballs set about an hour, the plung them into the boiling mixture of the veggies, meat for about an hour or until the carrots a done. It’s fantastic. I had eaten some off the wall brands yuck, I thought I just didn’t like this kind of support until I had hers. Yum yum
Sharon says
Hello everyone! I just subscribed today and hope to get some really good meal ideas.
I get tired of eating the same meals all the time… It will be nice to try something different. Or at least made a different way.
Hugs
Sharon ????
Jennifer Tracz says
This is now my son’s favorite soup as well! He always asks for that wedding soup!
Alyssa says
That’s great! It’s so nice when you find an “adult” meal that kids love.
Tom Tarantino says
I’ve been using this recipe for years. Yes it’s a good one. I like to use Swiss Chard in lieu if the Spinich and you might want to try wheat orzo for the pasta.
PJ says
Swiss chard sounds sounds fantastic! I must try this as well. Thanks
Pattie Blair says
I’ve been looking for an Italian Wedding Soup Recipe-something easy that “I” could make. Tried this and was absolutely thrilled with the results – along with my husband and son. Served it with a salad and Italian bread – delicious! I’m now anxious to make it for friends – maybe a lunch. I’m so enjoying your recipes, Alyssa.
Alyssa says
Thanks, Pattie! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. 🙂
Jim Maio Sr. says
Off the scale good. I’m 70 years old, and had not tasted this since I was a kid eating at my Italian Grand Mom’s table. Brought back some great memories. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Alyssa says
Thank YOU for sharing such a great comment! I don’t think there’s anything better than favorite childhood foods.
Danielle says
I have been looking all over for the PERFECT Italian wedding soup recipe that replicated the soup at my favorite local Italian restaurant, and this is it! Thank you SO much for sharing this, it’s absolutely amazing!
Alyssa says
Thank you so much, Danielle!!
Cynthia Silva says
I just made this and have it simmering on the stove now. It smells wonderful! Can’t wait to taste it.
Alyssa says
Nothing better than the smell of soup simmering on the stove! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Irene says
Alyssa, this is a winner recipe! Made it tonight for my hubby and I after having some at one of our favorite restaurants two weeks ago. We thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant version, but your recipe far surpasses theirs. So flavorful and relatively easy to make. Couldn’t find acini de pepe in the stores here, so I used pearl couscous instead. I had a second bowl (unusual for me to have seconds of anything) and my husband went back for thirds! He’s already told me he’ll be having the wedding soup for lunch tomorrow! Guess I’ll be making more very soon. Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe.
Alyssa says
Thank you, Irene! That’s really smart to substitute the couscous — I never thought of that, but I’m sure they’re essentially the same thing!! I’m so glad you loved it.
Kelly Kasper says
Made this today and it is seriously the best wedding soup I’ve ever tasted!! Awesome recipe!!
Alyssa says
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Kelly! I love that you loved it. 🙂
Michele Renard says
I always thought wedding soup would be a huge pain to make, but this recipe was so easy and super delicious. I was shocked that I didn’t have to add a ton of seasoning once it came together. The meatball mix was plenty flavor! Thanks for a great recipe!
natalie says
Do u add any water at all? Or just broth?
Alyssa says
Hi Natalie – You just add broth. Although depending how much and/or what type of pasta you add you may want to add a little water (or more broth) at the end to thin it out to your desired consistency.
Jenn says
Is there a particular reason you only use the white part of the bread? Can I use the leftover heel that nobody ever eats? 😛
Alyssa says
Of course! I use all different types of bread for breadcrumbs — sometimes a leftover hotdog bun :). I say use up whatever you have!
Leann says
For the past 24 years, we’ve hosted our annual SoupFest … starting with homemade stock to finished 8 – 15 different soups served. It took awhile to ‘catch on’ but now people ask ‘what they need to do to be invited’. Our largest gathering was 82 people! Needless to say, my soup recipe cadre is brimming. You caught my eye with the comment, “combined several different recipes to make the best”, as is often my discovery as well. Tomorrow night I will be making your soup for a dear friend/family having out-patient surgery … soup is comfort in a bowl! Thank you for sharing of your time and talents.
Alyssa says
A Soupfest sounds amazing! 🙂 I love soup, and never get tired of trying out new ones. You’re right, it’s definitely comfort in a bowl. I really hope your friend enjoys it!
Rebecca says
I’m a single 20 something and I have the same taste as your daughter when it comes to Italian wedding soup! This is great! I try to cook often but very often it turns out not so great, but this was simple enough even for me! Thanks Alyssa! This will become a winter staple for me 🙂
Alyssa says
I’m so glad! I think you and my daughter have good taste! I’d honestly never even tried Italian Wedding Soup until she became obsessed with it. 🙂
Carrie Dunbar says
This is delicious! I have searched and tried many soup recipes to find a go to for my family of six. Everyone loves this, which is a feat not met with most meals. My kids have even asked for leftovers in their Thermoses for lunch tomorrow. Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. It is sure to be a family favorite from here on out. Blessings to you!
Alyssa says
I’m SO happy to hear this, Carri! I only have four in my family, and I still find it very hard to find a meal that pleases everyone so I know how great it is when you do find one. I hope they continue to love it!! – Alyssa
Sandy says
My grandson loves Italian Wedding Soup. Thanks to you, I am making it for him for dinner after his surprise birthday party. My grandmother and my mother made this soup many times during their lives and I am so grateful that I was sitting at their table.
Alyssa says
Thanks so much for sharing Sandy! I love that you have so many family memories based around this soup. I hope it lives up to the one your grandmother/mother made! XO Alyssa
Vera says
For those who wonder how long it takes to simmer (not boil) the raw meatballs in the soup–they are done when they all float. That way it doesn’t matter what exact size you make them, they will float when ready. Cooking them much longer after that will make them less tender.
Alyssa says
Thanks, Vera!
Lauren says
Hi, I’m going to make this soup tomorrow for dinner. Do I need to squeeze the frozen spinach to get the moisture out or put the whole thing in?
Alyssa says
Hi Lauren – you can just toss it in frozen! If you want to take the time to thaw it and squeeze out the water first that would be fine, too (and might make the flavor a little stronger), but for the sake of simplicity you can just add it “as is.” You could also substitute fresh spinach if you’d rather do that. Hope you enjoy the soup!
Diane says
I’ve made several different Italian Wedding Soup recipes. This was BY FAR, the best recipe for this soup! Thank you so much for sharing it! Yum!
Alyssa says
Thank you so much, Diane!! I’m glad you loved it.
Kim says
Love this soup!
The best way to make these tiny meatballs is to roll out the meat mixture into long strips and then cut off just what you need as you put it into the broth. Saves so much time!! You don’t even have to roll them into balls this way (:
Alyssa says
Genius, Kim! Thanks for the tip!
Kay says
My mom use to always make italian wedding soup it has been on my mind for weeks. I made this recipe today and it is delicious! My local grocery store did not cary the pasta you stated so I made mine with a 16oz box Orzo and it still tastes just like my mommas italian wedding soup! Thank you for sharing!
Alyssa says
Awesome – thanks for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and it reminded you of home. 🙂
Christina says
I just made this soup tonight!!! Wow.. It was so simple and easy and turned out fantastic!!!
Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Alyssa says
Thanks so much, Christina! It makes my day when people enjoy my recipes.
Debbie says
Very good! Just added a bag of fresh spinach whole to pot instead of frozen. Microwaved a dinner dish of meatballs prior to putting in pot and juices also. Micro only for 1 min and 30 secs just to set the meat. Had two plates full of tiny meatballs from recepie.
Patty says
Can you provide the calories and nutritional information?
Alyssa says
Hi Patty – Unfortunately I don’t know the first thing about figuring that out!
Patty says
I made this soup and it was fabulous!! I was able to import the recipe in the myfitnesspal app and it gave me all the nutritional information!
Molly Buckler says
Made this today for my weekend dinners at work with ground turkey and it is so delicious! Thanks for the recipe I will definitely be making this again.
Susan Dombek says
I just made your wedding soup this morning for lunch. My husband ate 3 bowls. It was delicious. Our daughter is getting married Saturday and I’m thinking I will make it to serve at our home between the wedding and reception, Thanks for sharing.
Alyssa says
Wow, what a great endorsement! Thanks so much for commenting, Susan, and I hope your daughter has an awesome wedding day!
Lauren says
Hello,
I am making your soup as I send this quick message to you! Do you add the pasta in uncooked? Also, about how long total do you let the soup cook for? Until the meatballs are cooked, a few hours? Thanks!
Alyssa says
Hi Lauren! Yep, you just add in the pasta and the meatballs uncooked, and it will all cook up in the boiling broth. I’m not sure of the exact cook time for the meatballs, but it definitely doesn’t take hours – maybe just 15-20 minutes. I’m going to be making this soup again this week, so I’ll come back and update the recipe with a more exact time. Thanks for your questions! Hope it turns out great!
Mary W says
I’m going to make this for my son’s birthday. I’ll let you know how we liked it. Sounds yummy to me!
Nancy says
I have enjoyed my Nonna’s soup for a long time and just found out a few years ago that North American’s call it, “Italian Wedding Soup.” When refering to it as such my Nonna said, “It isa justa soupa”.
I have never made it myself until now. And being the good Italian that I am, I had to make enough to feed a small country or at least my family plus neighbours. I doubled the recipe. It took a good hour to roll 2lbs of tiny meatballs! Next time, I may enlist help for that part.
I used ground chicken in place of the pork – there is definitely a difference in taste. I think I would try ground turkey or all beef next time.
I might also try using fresh chopped spinach in place of the frozen.
Oh and I added 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped carrot.
Delish!
Alyssa says
I love your Nonna’s comment! Thanks for sharing your story, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
ken s. says
Gave your recipe a try — excellent !!!!
Alyssa says
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. It makes my day when someone enjoys one of my recipes.
Marla says
I’ve made a similar version (I use shredded carrots in mine and do the meatballs a little differently) but I find that if I make enough to keep for a second meal, the pasta swells (absorbs too much of the broth) while sitting. Do you just make enough for one meal or is there a way to avoid having the pasta swell? I’ve tried cooking the pasta before adding it, I’ve tried browning the pasta in a frying pan before adding it but nothing I’ve tried keeps it from swelling till the next meal.
If your store is ever out of the pasta look for Israeli couscous (usually near the rice). It’s what I used until our store started carrying the Acini de Pepe.
Emtee says
Try boiling your pasta first in a bullion / water broth. Let it sit a bit to absorb the liquid, then rinse off the starch, toss in a tad of olive oil to coat and seal and toss in your soup! The swelling is already done before you add it to your soup! If you keep adding broth to thin your soup on day 2, you loose the balance of the original flavor!
Alyssa says
Good tip – thanks for sharing!
Kat says
Do you but both the beef and pork at the meat counter? Would I just get a half pound of each?
Alyssa says
Hi Kat – Yes, you can just order half a pound each of ground pork or ground beef at the meat counter. Or if you’re buying the meat pre-packaged, they’re usually sold in 1 lb packages, so you could just cut each in half and freeze the other half for later.
Lisa says
Hi Alyssa,
Thank you for posting this yummy recipe. I made the soup tonight and it’s delicious! I was able to use up the last of the parsley that I grew. I did buy too much ground pork and beef, but I saved half of the meatball mixture for tomorrow’s meatloaf. It’s a hot, humid 82 degrees in New Hampshire today, but I was dying to make this soup!
Alyssa says
Thanks so much for commenting, Lisa! I’m glad you love the soup. It’s hot here in Houston, too, but I’m pretending it’s soup season anyway! 🙂
Martha says
Our daughters have a lot in common. Sammie could eat this soup 7 days a week and she was upset when they stopped carrying it. I look forward to trying your recipe. She will be so happy. Have you tried freezing it.
Alyssa says
Hi Martha – I’ve never tried freezing the entire soup itself…just the meatballs. But I’m sure it would work fine to freeze the whole thing if you want to divide it up into smaller servings. I hope your daughter likes it!
Alan says
Do you cook the meatballs first or add them raw to the soup?
Alyssa says
Hi Alan – You just add the meatballs raw to the soup. If I’m making a batch ahead of time, I freeze the meatballs raw also, and just add them frozen to the broth once it’s boiling. Thanks for asking!
Alice Wagner says
Alyssa, this sounds yummy. Especially on this cold snowy February day here in Carolina. I just might try making this soup. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Also, hope you had a real nice birthday the other day. Just think next year will be the big one!
Hugs,
Alice
Alyssa says
Thanks Alice!! I hope you enjoy it if you make it. XOXO to you and your family.
Jeannette says
Escarole instead of spinach