Description
Italian Wedding Soup is a classic Italian-American dish featuring tender meatballs simmered in a flavorful broth with vegetables, pasta, and fresh spinach. This hearty and comforting soup balances savory meatballs with bright, fresh greens and is topped with shredded Parmesan cheese for added richness.
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 (for cooking)
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, combine the lean ground beef and ground pork. Add the fresh white bread crumbs, chopped parsley, minced oregano, shredded Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Gently toss the mixture and break it up with your hands to evenly coat and distribute the ingredients throughout.
- Shape the Meatballs: Form the mixture into very small meatballs, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter. Place the formed meatballs onto a large plate, ensuring they do not stick together.
- Brown the Meatballs: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally to brown on two or three sides. This process should take about 4 minutes. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Note that the meatballs will not be fully cooked at this stage as they will finish cooking in the soup.
- Sauté Vegetables for the Soup: While the meatballs are browning, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Sauté the vegetables until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute, stirring to distribute the garlic evenly.
- Add Broth and Season: Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth into the pot with the sautéed vegetables. Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.
- Add Pasta and Meatballs; Simmer: Stir in the dry acini di pepe or orzo pasta along with the partially cooked meatballs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and allow the pasta to cook and the meatballs to cook through, about 10 minutes.
- Finish with Spinach: In the last minute of cooking, add the roughly chopped fresh baby spinach to the soup and stir until wilted and incorporated.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving generously with finely shredded Parmesan cheese. Serve warm and enjoy your comforting Italian Wedding Soup.
Notes
- For the bread crumbs, use a hearty rustic bread. Pulse a slice in a food processor until fine crumbs are achieved. Save the remaining bread for serving or freeze for another use.
- If you prefer a more brothy soup, reduce the pasta to 3/4 cup. The pasta will absorb broth over time, so add more broth as needed to thin the soup.
- For added depth of flavor, simmer a Parmesan rind with the soup and remove before serving.
- This recipe yields about 12 cups of soup, enough for 6 servings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
