This Italian Wedding Soup is a classic comfort is the perfect weekday meal for those cold months. Flavorful broth and filling meatballs will warm your belly and leave you feeling full and satisfied!
One of my personal goals every year (of course) involves food. Believe it or not, I often get very tired of what we eat for dinner and get stuck in a rut.
WHAAA?! A "food blogger" who doesn't know what to make for dinner?!
The TEA! ?☕️
But it is the truth. I am human too. We all get stuck in ruts eating the same thing week after week with lack of inspo.
Last year I made a reasonable and doable goal of making 1 new recipe a month. That's it. Just 1. No pressure to cook elaborate meals that take 2 hours every week.
Just 1 meal sometime in 4 weeks. Complicated or not, it didn't matter, just 1. And you know what? It was a great goal! I could do it--I did do it!
I will have you guess what one of those recipes were? Yeah yeah I know, it is cheesy and obvious but this one.
I have said this 100,000 times but as soon as temps drop below 50 I am in full-on hibernation mode. I can be cold and it is 75 degrees out. So since temps have enjoyed hanging out in the FREEZING DREARY range for the past whoever knows how many weeks I have been buried under all the blankets, next to a space heater eating cups and cups of soup.
My favorite thing about Italian Wedding Soup is that it is
- filling but light
- brothy but substantial
- packed full of flavor, veggies, and protein
- it is an all-around win-win
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
The base of this soup comes from the meatballs.
I like to use ground turkey but pork, beef or a combo can be used. Just a couple ingredients bring the meatballs together then they are formed into balls. Traditional Italian Wedding Soup has fairly tiny meatballs.
I do not have time to roll out teaspoon-sized meatballs so I just use my smallest ice cream scoop and fill it ½-3/4 of the way full and use that as a guide. I ended up with 60 - 1 inch sized meatballs. You will think this is way too many but trust me, you could even use more as the soup comes together!
The Key is to Brown the Meatballs First
Just about 5 minutes until the outsides are toasty brown. Take them out and set aside.
The rest is very easy.
- Saute carrots, onion, and garlic.
- Add broth. Boil.
- Add in meatballs and bring back to a boil (this will finish cooking the insides of them).
- Add in spinach and bring back to a boil.
- Finally, add pasta and let simmer until cooked.
I used a tiny pasta called Acini di Pepe which gets almost 4 times the size once cooked. You could also use Israeli couscous, orzo or this awesome Harvest Grain mix from Trader Joes that I love. Soup can be served once the pasta is ready or can be kept on low until ready to eat.
This will feed a crowd and makes excellent leftovers. Just store in the refrigerator and when ready to reheat add a little bit more broth or water. I found the pasta continues to soak up the liquid as it sits or is stored overnight and needs a little more to thin it out.
So get snuggly under a blanket, serve this soup with some crusty buttered bread and some ribbons of parmesan. You will put this Italian Wedding Soup in your "I don't know what to make for dinner" rut rotation. ?
Recipe
Italian Wedding Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 1x
Description
This Italian Wedding Soup is a classic comfort is the perfect weekday meal for those cold months. Flavorful broth and filling meatballs will warm your belly and leave you feeling full and satisfied!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 16 Ounces Ground Turkey
- ⅓ Cup Breadcrumbs
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 Egg
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Basil
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
Soup
- 12 Cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Carrots-diced
- 1 Onion-diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves-diced
- 12 Ounces Frozen Spinach
- 1 Cup Acini de Pepe Pasta - Orzo or Israeli Couscous can be used
- 1 (+) Tablespoon Olive Oil
Instructions
- Prep meatballs: place ground turkey and the next 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Using a spatula or your hands (with gloves) completely mix until all ingredients are well combined.
- Using the smallest ice cream scooper you have, or your hands, scoop out meatballs and place on cookie sheet. You should get about 60 1 inch sized meatballs.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and drizzle in about a tablespoon of olive oil. Place about ⅓ of the meatballs in the pot and cook until just brown on the outside--about 5 minutes. Scoop out and place back on cookie sheet. Repeat until all meatballs are browned.
- While meatballs are browning, finely dice carrots, onion, and garlic and set aside.
- Once meatballs are finished, place another tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the pot and add in carrots, onion, and garlic. Saute for about 5-10 minutes or until soft.
- Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in meatballs and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add in frozen spinach and bring back up to a boil.
- Add in pasta and turn on medium to medium-low, cover with a lid and let simmer for 15- 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Soup is ready to serve once the pasta has cooked (it will more than triple in size). Can be served immediately or just set on low until needed. Can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner-Soup
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 358
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1362.6 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.4 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 33.2 g
- Cholesterol: 75.9 mg
Keywords: Italian Wedding Soup
Vanita says
Great post.
★★★★★