Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Filled with simple and nutritious ingredients, Italian Wedding Soup is a comforting Italian soup filled with leafy green vegetables, meatballs, and small pasta in a clear chicken broth.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 large onion grated
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 thick slices of fresh white bread crust removed, bread torn into tiny pieces *
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Soup Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large yellow onion minced
- 4 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 5 stalks celery chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine (optional)
- 8 ounces acini di pepe pasta
- 1.5 pounds curly endive or escarole or fresh baby spinach (or a mix) see notes
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Transfer all ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly combine all ingredients for the meatballs together. Using approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture for each meatball, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until tops are golden and meatballs are just cooked through. Set aside.
For the Soup
- As the meatballs are cooking, begin preparing the soup. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Mix in the carrots and celery and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and salt and sauté for an additional 1 minute, stirring continuously to prevent the garlic from burning.
- Add the chicken stock and the wine to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the acini di pepe pasta to the soup. Stir well to combine. Allow the pasta to cook for approximately 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the cooked meatballs to the pot and return to a simmer. Stir in the fresh greens (curly endive, escarole or spinach) and allow the soup to cook until the greens are wilted.
- Serve soup garnished with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- I used two thick slices of fresh sourdough bread for the meatballs, but any white bread will work. You want approximately 2 cups of torn-up bits and pieces of bread.
- If you don't think you'll be eating all the soup in one sitting, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual serving bowls rather than cooking the pasta in the soup pot.
- I used a mixture of all three leafy greens- curly endive, escarole, and spinach (see images above).
- This recipe makes a lot of mini meatballs! Feel free to cut the meatball recipe in half or save half of the meatballs for later :)
Nutrition
Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 1322mg | Potassium: 858mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2040IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 227mg | Iron: 4.8mg
