This classic Italian Wedding Soup features homemade mini meatballs, crisp vegetables, and acini de pepe pasta in a nourishing chicken-based broth. Browning the meatballs under the broiler instead of in a skillet saves so much time and makes this otherwise one-pot soup recipe come together quickly. Nourishing, comforting, and cozy, homemade Italian wedding soup is perfect for warming you up on cold days!
“This soup is wonderful. The flavor is amazing. I will never again eat another can of Italian Wedding Soup.” – Nicole, So Much Food reader
Table of Contents
The Homemade Italian Wedding Soup I Make on Repeat in the Winter
This is my take on a classic Italian-American soup: Italian Wedding Soup! I mean, chicken soup is good and all, but this mini meatball and veggie soup has an absolute chokehold on me.
This recipe is a combination of veggies, greens, homemade mini meatballs, and tiny pasta all simmered in broth to make an incredibly flavorful and filling soup.
Contrary to how it may sound, Italian Wedding Soup did not get its name from being served at weddings. The name is actually a mistranslation of its Italian name, minestra maritata, which translates directly to “marriage soup,” referring to the marriage of ingredients in the soup.
Poor Italian translations aside, this meatball soup is truly incredible. It’s light and healthy but still keeps you full and sated. The little bit of lemon zest and juice adds the perfect zippy flavor!
Grab These Key Ingredients
- Homemade meatballs. I make my meatballs with a mix of ground beef and Italian sausage, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan, spices, fresh herbs, and tomato paste. You could absolutely swap in pre-cooked store-bought meatballs in a pinch.
- Chicken broth. Because this is a brothy soup, I’m always going to recommend using homemade chicken stock. If you do use store-bought, I recommend finding high quality bone broth in the refrigerated section.
- Veggies. I used a classic mix of onion, carrots, celery, and baby kale since it’s so tender.
- Pastina. Pastina is just a term that refers to “little pasta.” It’s the smallest size of pasta produced and can be found in a small star shape, stelline, or in tiny spheres, acini de pepe (the traditional choice of pasta for Italian wedding soup). Any small format pasta will work here, even ditalini! Use whatever you have on hand, including gluten-free pastina.
- Pancetta. I think a bit of pancetta adds great flavor to the soup, but you could omit it or swap in finely diced bacon for a smokier flavor.
- Lemon juice and zest. Your soup won’t taste lemony, don’t worry! The juice and zest just adds some freshness and zip to the broth that really wakes up all of the flavors.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup in 5 Easy Steps
- Make the mini meatballs. The meatball mixture comes together quickly using just your hands. I use a small cookie scoop to portion out the meatball mixture to make sure all of my mini meatballs are the same size.
Jenny’s Tip: Let the breadcrumbs and Parmesan soak in the beaten egg for about 10 minutes. This hydrates the breadcrumbs and lends the meatballs extra moisture.
- Broil the meatballs. Most Italian wedding soup recipes ask you to brown the meatballs in a skillet before adding to the soup, but that takes so much time and requires constant babysitting. I prefer to broil my meatballs for 6 to 8 minutes instead. This way, you can work on other parts of the recipe as the broiler does all of the hard work for you!
- Render the pancetta. We want to release as much of the fat into the pot as possible before adding in the vegetables. This gives the soup an excellent flavor foundation.
- Build the soup. Saute the onions, carrot, and celery in the rendered pancetta fat until soft. Then, add the spices, chicken stock, meatballs, and cooked pancetta. After about 10 minutes, stir in the pasta.
Jenny’s Tip: Pastina (acini de pepe) only needs 7-8 minutes to cook before it’s perfectly al dente. Keep an eye on it and taste it as it cooks to ensure you don’t end up with mushy, overcooked pasta.
- Finish the soup. Add the baby kale, lemon zest, and lemon juice last and cook just until the greens have wilted.
Jenny’s Tips for the Perfect Soup
Don’t overmix the meatballs. This is why I always mix the meatballs by hand. You can mix everything together easier and more quickly so that you don’t end up with tough, over-mixed meatballs.
Use a cookie scoop to portion the meatballs. This ensures your meatballs are all the same size and that they cook at the same rate. Nothing is worse than overcooked, dry meatballs!
Baking/broiling meatballs is better than pan frying them. This might be a hot take, but I prefer baking and broiling my meatballs for several reasons. It’s hands off, cleanup is easier, and pan-fried meatballs usually have a drier texture than baked meatballs.
Storage and Reheating
As with all soups, Italian wedding soup tastes even better the next day! Just note that the pasta will continue to absorb liquid, so you may need to add some broth or water when reheating.
To store: Cool the soup to room temperature and transfer to an airtight container. When properly stored, the soup is good for 3-5 days.
To reheat: You can reheat large batches of soup on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring gently until warmed through. Add additional water or broth as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Side Dish Ideas
A hearty bowl of soup always pairs nicely with a fresh side salad or warm bread for dipping. Try serving your mini meatball-studded Italian wedding soup with one of the following:
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Italian-Inspired Soup Recipes to Try
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 3/4 lb ground beef, (85/10)
- 3/4 lb ground sweet italian sausage
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 oz diced pancetta
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 8 cups chicken stock (homemade is best)
- 1 cup acini de pepe pasta
- 5 oz baby kale
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- finely grated parmesan, for serving
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the meatballs: In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the beaten egg and parmesan. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Add the sausage, beef, tomato paste, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and mix by hand. Use a tablespoon to make small meatballs and lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Broil the meatballs. Set an oven rack in the top ? of the oven and turn the broiler on high. Broil the meatballs for 6-8 minutes, until browned. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside.
- Render the pancetta. Heat the olive oil in a 4-5 qt dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the pancetta and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring often, until the pancetta is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a small bowl.
- Build the soup. Add the onions, carrot, and celery to the pot and saute for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the dried oregano and basil and cook for another minute. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the meatballs and crispy pancetta, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the pasta and simmer until pasta is tender, about 8 minutes.
- Finish the soup. Stir in the baby kale, lemon zest, and lemon juice and simmer just until the greens are wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with grated parmesan.
You might also like...
-
Soups & Stews Lasagna Soup
-
Pasta Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
-
Sauces, Salsas & Marinades Dad’s Sunday Sauce Recipe
Rate & Review This Recipe
This soup is wonderful. The flavor is amazing. I will never again eat another can of Italian Wedding Soup.
This was delicious! The whole family loved it and my 4 and 6 year old boys are pretty picky. We will be adding this to the family recipe book for sure! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Always love to hear that! No higher compliment than getting kids to eat their veggies happily!
Ok WOW. This soup deserves more praise. This is the best Italian wedding soup I’ve ever had. Served it with crusty French bread. So so so so good. Definitely going into the soup recipe book in my house.
Aw that made my day! So happy you loved it!
This was a big hit in our house tonight! I very rarely leave comments on recipes, but I felt like this deserved more ratings- it’s really so good! It’s going in our soup rotation for sure.
Thank you so much, Amy! So happy you enjoyed this recipe, it’s one of my favorite soups ever!