A simple recipe for classic Wedding Soup that comes together so quickly as a one-pot soup. Italian wedding soup is known for its flavorful meatballs with vegetables, spinach, and pasta in a delicious broth.

Italian Wedding soup in a Dutch oven with a ladel and bread on the side.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Hey, hey! Valentina with Valentina’s Corner sharing our traditional Wedding Soup Recipe.

What is Italian Wedding Soup?

Wedding soup gets its name from an Italian phrase which is translated to “married soup”. It is a reference to the flavors coming together so well, like a marriage.

Meatballs in a hearty broth with acini di pepe pasta, greens, and vegetables. It’s a little like the Italian version of Chicken Noodle Soup. The recipe comes together so quickly, making it a great recipe for busy evenings.

A ladle filled with wedding soup.

How to make Wedding Soup?

If you are looking for a soup that is so easy to make yet tastes wonderful, this is it! The process and ingredients are so simple:

  1. Prep and saute the Italian meatballs.
  2. Saute the vegetables until tender.
  3. Add chicken broth and pasta, boiling 5 minutes.
  4. Return meatballs to soup and season.
  5. Add fresh spinach and cook just until wilted.

Step-by-step photo collage how to make Wedding Soup.

Tips for the BEST Italian Wedding Soup-

  • Start with a Great Base: For the best taste, use Homemade Chicken Stock.
  • One-Pot Soup: Though we prefer cooking the meatball in a Dutch oven for a one-pot soup, you can easily bake the meatballs.
  • Pasta Varieties: In the traditional soup, acini di pepe pasta is used. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry the pasta, you can easily substitute with orzo or ditalini.
  • Spinach Substitute: If you don’t like spinach, you can substitute it for kale like we use for Zuppa Toscana and cook an extra 5 minutes.
  • Brown the Meatballs: When sauteeing the meatballs, you just want to brown them on all sides. The meatballs don’t need to cook all the way through, they will finish cooking once added to the soup.
  • Meat Substitutions: Ground beef and pork are traditional, but you can use a combination of any ground meat for the meatballs. Try sausages as we used in our White Bean Sausage Kale Soup.

How to Shape Meatballs:

You can make large meatballs and yield about 18-20 meatballs or shape mini meatballs and get about 35-40 meatballs. The mini meatballs will take less time to cook.

  1. Portion meatballs by using a trigger release ice cream scoop.
  2. Dip hands in cold water and with wet hands, roll each portion of meat into a ball. This will keep the meat from sticking to your hands.

A bowl of Wedding Soup with bread on the side and a kitchen towel.

Don’t feel intimidated to try this Classic Italian Wedding Soup Recipe. It truly is so easy to make and kids love the meatballs.

More Hearty Soup Recipes to Enjoy:

If you enjoy warm, comforting soups in the cooler months, these are sure to become new favorite soup recipes for you.

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

4.99 from 63 votes
Author: Valentina Ablaev
Italian Wedding Soup in a bowl with a spoon
A simple recipe for classic Italian Wedding Soup that comes together so quickly. Meatballs, pasta with spinach in a rich broth.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6 servings

For the Italian Meatballs

  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 3 Tbsp whole milk
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning

For the Wedding Soup:

  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 5 oz fresh spinach, coarsley chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup dry acini de pepe pasta, or orzo
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 ½ tsp salt, or to taste
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine together the ground pork, beef, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Shape into 18-20 meatballs (or 35-40 mini meatballs).
  • In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium/high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the meatballs. Cook until the meatballs are browned, turning occasionally. Remove the meatballs to a separate dish and repeat with remaining meatballs.
  • Add 1 Tbsp butter with onions and carrots and sautee until soft and golden (6-7 minutes), then add the minced garlic and saute another minute.
  • Pour in the broth and add the pasta, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the meatballs back to the soup, season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep at a low boil for an additional 7-9 minutes, or until pasta is cooked to your desired doneness.
  • Add the spinach and cook another minute, or until spinach is wilted. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Per Serving

341kcal Calories18g Carbs27g Protein19g Fat7g Saturated Fat88mg Cholesterol1272mg Sodium730mg Potassium2g Fiber3g Sugar4068IU Vitamin A9mg Vitamin C143mg Calcium3mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
341
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
7
g
44
%
Cholesterol
 
88
mg
29
%
Sodium
 
1272
mg
55
%
Potassium
 
730
mg
21
%
Carbohydrates
 
18
g
6
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
27
g
54
%
Vitamin A
 
4068
IU
81
%
Vitamin C
 
9
mg
11
%
Calcium
 
143
mg
14
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Italian Soup, Italian Wedding Soup, Wedding Soup
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 341

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Valentina Ablaev

I am Valentina, the creator behind the food blog Valentina’s Corner where I share our family’s favorite recipes. When I am not in the kitchen, I enjoy spending quality time with my husband and 5 children. We invite you to join us on our blogging journey!

Read more posts by Valentina

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Pam
    March 14, 2024

    This was fantastic! will make again soon:) so easy and tasty!

    Reply

  • Sharon Sarsen
    February 28, 2024

    So I just made your Italian Wedding Soup. I’ve made the Chicken and Rice Soup and the Chicken Tortilla Soup already. Love all three. I think the IWS is my favorite. Not to mention all the other recipes are swear by. Thanks for all the great recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 28, 2024

      You’re so welcome! I’m happy to know that you’re enjoying my recipes, Sharon!

      Reply

  • Helen Capra
    February 6, 2024

    Natasha, this soup is not only very straight forward and only one pot but absolutely delicious. The flavors are wonderfully married! (couldn’t resist)

    Thank you, Helen

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      February 6, 2024

      I’m so glad to hear that, Helen! Thank you!

      Reply

  • Diane White
    January 3, 2024

    Natasha! this is the easiest, tastiest soup, thanks! I used frozen italian turkey meatballs that I got at Costco and substituted kale and chard for the spinach. Yummy!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      January 3, 2024

      Hi Diane! I’m so glad you loved this. Thank you for the feedback.

      Reply

  • Ashley
    December 30, 2023

    Hey Natasha! I am making this for a soup day for work (25 servings). Plan on making it the night before, bringing to work and putting in a roasting pan to keep warm until lunch. Do you think I should cook the pasta the morning of and add it then so it doesn’t soak up stock overnight? Any other tips you’d recommend?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      December 30, 2023

      Hi Ashley! Yes, I think cooking the pasta separately and then adding it in later would work great. I hope they all love the recipe!

      Reply

  • Inga
    September 4, 2023

    Fantastic recipe! My supermarket didn’t have ground pork so I used ground beef for the meatballs. The soup came out flavorful, with a good mouthfeel and simply delicious. Even my husband, who thinks all Italian wedding soups are bland, said it was unreal. Will definitely make again!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      September 4, 2023

      Hi Inga! That’s wonderful to hear. So glad you loved it!

      Reply

  • Cyndi J.
    June 18, 2023

    The only thing I could say is missing is some celery. This is a beautiful soup. Husband loved it.

    We love all your recipes and if ever in doubt of what we want to eat, we come to your pages and youtube.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      June 18, 2023

      Thank you for your trust, Cyndi. Sure, feel free to try adding some celery next time.

      Reply

  • Natalya
    November 2, 2022

    Hey Natasha,
    So I’ve tried this and some other recipes from Valentina’s Corner and feel like its overpowered by one specific flavor…. In this soup, its the beef broth, in a bacon chicken pasta, it was the ranch powder that goes into the recipe (don’t remember if you have it on your blog or not). Anyways, any suggestions or tips so its not so pungent and strong? It almost ruins the whole dish…

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      November 2, 2022

      Hi Natalya! Did you mean chicken broth? This recipe uses chicken broth instead of beef (although both would work fine). By chance did you use stock instead of broth? Stock has a richer and deeper flavor than broth. I haven’t had this problem using chicken broth but if you feel it’s overpowering, you could reduce the broth and replace it with water to help mellow it out. You may need to add some additional salt or seasoning to replace some of the flavor if it’s too bland. I hope that helps.

      Reply

      • Natalya
        November 9, 2022

        Oh, yes! The chicken broth, sorry about that. Ok, I will have to do that next time, add more water to mellow out the flavors and then season it to taste.

        Reply

  • Deb Irwin
    September 12, 2022

    I cook my chicken first to make the broth then I pan fry the meat balls and when the chicken is cooked I debone it cut it up and put it back into the broth and finish the soup from there.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 12, 2022

      Sounds good, thanks a lot for sharing that with us!

      Reply

  • Joan
    February 22, 2022

    Do you make the soup in the same pan after frying the meatballs? Without draining what’s left in the pan after frying?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 22, 2022

      Hi Joan! That’s right! That’s where a lot of the flavor remains! I hope you love this recipe!

      Reply

  • Christy
    February 19, 2022

    Can I substitute the pork/beef with ground turkey? Any recommendations for adjustments to recipe for this substitution?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      February 19, 2022

      Hi Christy, I haven’t tried this with turkey to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.

      Reply

      • Lisa
        February 20, 2022

        Yes, absolutely. The meatballs will be a little grainy. You might try mixing the turkey with some full fat pork for better texture. But if you’re looking for low fat, turkey will work.

        Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.