Italian Wedding Soup

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Tender meatballs, veggies, and pasta in a rich and flavorful broth, Italian wedding soup is a meal unto itself.

Large pot of Italian wedding soup.

Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)

My kids love anything with meatballs in it (especially mini meatballs), so there’s always excitement at our house when Italian wedding soup is on the menu. The name “wedding soup” comes from the Italian phrase minestra maritata—or “married soup”—which is a reference to the way the flavors combine, like a happy marriage. Wedding soup is traditionally made from a rich, long-cooked homemade chicken stock. To save time and mimic the same rich flavor, I use a combination of high-quality store-bought broth fortified with wine and lots of veggies. For the meatballs, my secret is to add ground Italian sausage to the beef mixture, which adds tons of flavor without the need for lots of other seasonings.

The most tedious part of this Italian soup recipe is rolling the little meatballs (the recipe makes 50!), so I usually get the kids to help. The soup is hearty and truly a meal unto itself. Serve it with warm bread—focaccia is especially good—and a Caesar salad, and dinner is served!

“This soup is perfect for a cold evening meal, and a real crowd pleaser.”

Nancy

What You’ll Need To Make Italian Wedding Soup

Soup ingredients including chicken broth, beef broth, and egg.
  • Egg: Helps bind the meatballs, giving them structure and tenderness.
  • Fresh chives and sage: Add a subtle onion and earthy flavor to the meatballs.
  • Garlic: Lends savory flavor to the meatballs.
  • Lean ground beef: Forms the base for tender, flavorful meatballs.
  • Italian sausage: Adds tenderness, spice, and extra rich flavor to the meatballs.
  • Parmigiano Reggiano: Adds a sharp, nutty flavor to the meatballs and also to the finished soup.
  • Italian seasoned bread crumbs: Helps bind the meatballs while adding extra seasoning.
  • Olive oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and adds richness to the soup.
  • Yellow onion, carrots, and celery: The classic trio for a flavorful soup base.
  • Chicken broth and beef broth: Provides a rich and hearty base for the soup. Note that the recipe calls for regular (not low-sodium) chicken and beef broth. I find the soup to be a bit bland with the low-sodium varieties, but if you special dietary considerations, go ahead and use low-sodium and season to taste before serving.
  • Dry white wine: Adds a touch of acidity to balance out the richness of the broth.
  • Bay leaf: Infuses the soup with a subtle, earthy flavor.
  • Small pasta (like ditalini, orzo, or pearl couscous): Gives the soup heartiness and texture.
  • Fresh spinach: Stirred in at the end, adding color and a touch of freshness. Chard or escarole would make excellent substitutes.
  • Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements

Step-by-Step Instructions

Begin by making the meatballs.

Egg and herbs in a bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the egg with the chives, sage and garlic.

Fork in a bowl of egg mixture.

Add the ground beef, sausage, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, and salt.

Bowl of unmixed meatball mixture.

Mash with your hands until evenly combined.

Person mixing meatball mixture by hand.

Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls (about 1 inch in diameter) and place on a greased oven-safe rack. (If you don’t have an oven-safe rack, it’s fine to cook the meatballs directly on the baking sheet; it’ll just be a little harder to get rid of the fat as it tends to collect around the meatballs.)

Uncooked meatballs on a wire rack over a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside.

Cooked meatballs on a wire rack over a lined baking sheet.

To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery.

Vegetables in a Dutch oven.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.

Cooked vegetables in a Dutch oven.

Add the chicken broth, beef broth, water, wine, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.

Vegetables boiling in broth.

Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes (or according to package directions).

Boodles pouring into a Dutch oven of broth.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Reduce the heat to low and add the spinach and meatballs.

Spinach and broth in a Dutch oven.

Simmer for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the meatballs are warmed through. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Make It Ahead

If you’d like to make this soup part of your rotation and want to shave off a little time for the next time around, double the recipe for the meatballs and freeze half. That way, all you’ll have to do is make the soup and add the meatballs to it as directed in the recipe. (They may take a few extra minutes to warm through if you’re adding them directly from the freezer.)

Video Tutorial

Large pot of Italian wedding soup.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)

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Italian Wedding Soup

Tender meatballs, veggies, and pasta in a rich and flavorful broth, Italian wedding soup is a meal unto itself.

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 50 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ lb 85 or 90% lean ground beef
  • ½ lb sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from the casings
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • ⅓ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 6 cups high-quality chicken broth, such as Swanson (do not use low-sodium)
  • 2 cups high-quality beef broth, such as Swanson (do not use low-sodium)
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup dry white wine (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper (okay to use black pepper)
  • 1 cup small pasta such as dittalini
  • 4 oz fresh spinach, stems trimmed and roughly chopped (once prepped, you should have about 3 packed cups)
  • Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving

Instructions

  1. Make the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set an oven-proof roasting rack over top. Spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the egg with the chives, sage and garlic. Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mash with your hands until evenly combined. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls, about 1 inch in diameter (it will make approximately 50 meatballs), and place on the prepared rack. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, start the soup. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken broth, beef broth, water, wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes (or according to package directions). Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Reduce the heat to low and add the spinach and meatballs. Simmer for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the meatballs are warmed through. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
  4. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months but wait until you reheat the soup to add the pasta. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until simmering, add the pasta, and cook until the pasta is tender.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Calories: 359
  • Fat: 22 g
  • Saturated fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 16 g
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 23 g
  • Sodium: 930 mg
  • Cholesterol: 83 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • can you use Orzo instead?

    • — Jasmin on June 12, 2024
    • Reply
    • Yup!

      • — Jenn on June 12, 2024
      • Reply
  • This had been on my list to try for sometime. Just finished my first bowl and it was so good! Didn’t use onion as I had a leek, and I don’t like celery so left it out. What a satisfying meal, hearty, healthy and the batch makes plenty! This will be on regular rotation from now on. Thank you. ☺️

    • — Leigh on May 6, 2024
    • Reply
  • As always, another amazing recipe open to adaptions! I was making my meatball recipe and remembered that I wanted to make this soup. I was low on celery so I used fresh chopped fennel in its place, and added a Locatelli rind, a star anise pod, fresh basil and Italian parsley (my favs when making a broth). OMGoodness, just fantastic! I always refer to Jen’s recipes as “I made her recipe” and everyone knows who and what I am talking about 🙂

    • — m3r1 on March 31, 2024
    • Reply
  • I just made another website’s wedding soup and it was good but not the same quality as your recipes! I plan to make this next time round. Odd question though, what size/volume is your Dutch oven? Mine was extremely full with 6 cups of liquids plus other ingredients, so I want to ask before trying a recipe that calls for 10 cups of liquids! Mine is from Pioneer woman and looks similar to the one pictured.

    • — Ellie B on March 24, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Ellie, I use a 5-1/2 quart Dutch oven. You’ll see in the last pic, that it gets pretty full, but everything will fit. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on March 25, 2024
      • Reply
      • Thank you!

        • — Ellie B on March 26, 2024
        • Reply
  • This was delicious! Easy recipe with fantastic results. I did drizzle two beaten eggs into the soup at the end! Another winner. I have never been disappointed with any recipe you provide. Thank you!

    • — Kat on March 24, 2024
    • Reply
  • This was some of the most delicious soup I’ve ever made.

    • — Amanda on March 15, 2024
    • Reply
  • Amazing!!!!! First time making won’t be the last!!

    • — Maureen on March 3, 2024
    • Reply
  • Made your recipe. It was delicious. I will definitely use this recipe again. I usually go to your recipes when I am looking for something. Thank you

    • — Cindy Sullivan on February 29, 2024
    • Reply
  • I am a soup novice , I was able to follow the recipe easily .
    The soup came out really well everyone enjoyed it .

    • — tony on February 29, 2024
    • Reply
  • I know the advertisers like to separate ingredients and instructions but I can tell you from experience you have to wash your hands to read the ingredients and then scroll away to find the instructions. Not good.

    • — girldriverusa on February 16, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi, you may want to view the recipe as if you’re going to print it. That will remove all the ads. (So, you’d go through the process of preparing to print a recipe and just view it that way.) Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on February 16, 2024
      • Reply

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