Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup is one of my family’s all-time favorite soups to make during the winter. It’s such a comforting and filling soup, great for dinner!

This soup represents the perfect “marriage” between the vegetables and meatballs. Every humble ingredient complements each other so well, making one AMAZING one pot meal!

This Italian wedding soup is make-ahead and freezer friendly, and can even be made in the slow cooker. Truly one of our faves!

When it’s cold outside, all I want is a warm, comforting bowl of soup. This Italian wedding soup has become one of my top soups this season.

If you’ve never had Italian wedding soup before, you’re missing out! This delicious soup is made with a vegetable base, broth, meatballs, pasta, and spinach. It’s super simple and so, so flavorful. Toast some artisan bread or make rosemary focaccia, and dinner is served!

If you’re a soup lover like me, you must also try this Tomato Basil Bisque, Bacon Potato Corn Chowder, and Turkey Orzo Soup. So good!

Why we love making Italian wedding soup:

• A comforting and cozy soup for dinner! Just toast some bread on the side and dinner is served. I love how filling this soup is!
• Customizable: The original recipe is made with beef and pork meatballs, but you can use chicken or turkey too. Or any type of small pasta!
• Leftovers are great for lunch later in the week. It reheats really well.
• Prep ahead, make ahead and freezer friendly! Great for those busy weeknights.

You can also make the soup in the slow cooker. Instructions are included below in this post, or in the recipe card!

Jump to:

• What is Italian Wedding Soup?
• What Type of Pasta to Use
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Make-Ahead Meatballs
• Make Ahead and Freezing
• Variations
• Slow Cooker Method
• Pairing and Serving Ideas
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips for Success
• Italian Wedding Soup

What is Italian Wedding Soup?

This classic Italian soup is originally called “minestra maritata,” which translates to “married soup.” Over time, it was mistranslated to “wedding soup,” hence the name Italian wedding soup.

Its name refers to the perfect marriage between the meat and vegetables, alluding to how well the humble meatballs pair with simple vegetables. Just as simple as that. So no, Italian wedding soup isn’t commonly served at weddings like some people think!

This is a very simple soup made with a vegetable base (onions, carrots, celery), broth, simple pork and beef meatballs, acini di pepe pasta, and a generous handful of fresh spinach. If you need a warm bowl of comfort, this is it!

What Type of Pasta to Use

Italian wedding soup is made with a type of pasta called acini di pepe. In Italian, it means “small seeds of pepper.” As its name suggests, it’s a small, round-shaped pasta.

You can find dried acini di pepe pasta in most grocery stores. As for substitutions, the most common options are ditalini and orzo pasta, but you can use any type of small shaped pasta.

If you can’t find any of the above, try pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous. Do not use the super tiny couscous that looks like semolina.

Ingredient Notes

For the Italian meatballs:

• Ground beef and pork: This is the classic combination, but you can use Italian sausage, chicken, or turkey as well.
• Italian style bread crumbs: Adds nice texture to the meatballs. You can also use panko breadcrumbs or make your own breadcrumbs in a food processor.
• Minced garlic and fresh Italian parsley: Fresh garlic and herbs add so much great flavor. Make sure they are finely minced or chopped since the meatballs in this soup are pretty small.
• Grated parmesan cheese: For more savory flavors.
• Large eggs: Eggs help to bind everything together.
• Salt and pepper

For the soup:

• Onions, carrots, celery: Diced. These classic soup veggies add great flavor and texture.
• Fresh garlic and Italian seasoning: Adds lots of flavor to the base of the soup.
• Chicken broth and water: You can also use vegetable broth here.
• Acini di pepe pasta: This is a very small round-shaped pasta that expands when cooked.
• Baby spinach: Added at the very end. Spinach is my favorite because of its milder flavor, but kale or escarole can be used instead if desired.
• Parmesan cheese and fresh Italian parsley for garnish
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making this soup is very simple, and many of the components can be made in advance. Here’s an overview on how to make it. As always, the full instructions can be found in the recipe card down below.

Step 1 | Make the meatballs and sear

In a bowl, combine the meatball ingredients (full ingredient in the recipe card). Using your hands, mix until evenly combined. Do not overmix. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. To make it easier, use a small cookie scoop and then quickly roll and shape into balls.

Then, heat some olive oil and sear the meatballs on the same Dutch oven or pot you’ll be using to make the soup. It should take about 3 minutes per side. Alternatively, instead of searing, you can broil them in the oven, turning once, until golden brown. The meatballs won’t be fully cooked but will finish cooking in the soup later.

Step 2 | Cook veggies and aromatics

In the same pot, add a few drizzles of olive oil and add the diced onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the minced garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 3 | Add broth, meatballs, and pasta

Stir in the 8 cups of chicken broth along with 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer. Then, return the seared meatballs into the pot and add the pasta. Bring to a boil again and then reduce to a simmer with the lid partially covered, for about 15 to 18 minutes until the pasta is cooked al dente and the meatballs are cooked thoroughly.

Step 4 | Finish with fresh spinach

Add a few handfuls of baby spinach leaves and cook for an extra minute. To serve, garnish the Italian wedding soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh Italian parsley.

Make-Ahead Meatballs

The meatballs are make-ahead, as well as freezer friendly. I always make a large batch of meatballs for Italian wedding soup in advance to save time. This way, I can make a comforting bowl of this soup during the week in just 20 minutes. It is so convenient, and I can even use the meatballs for other recipes.

If planning to make the soup within 1 to 2 days, the prepared meatballs can be refrigerated until ready to use.

You can also freeze them. Form the meatballs and arrange on a sheet pan. Flash-freeze for 20-30 minutes or until hardened, and then store the meatballs in a large freezer-friendly resealable plastic bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Alternatively, pre-sear or bake the meatballs and freeze them. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked in the center before freezing.

Make Ahead and Freezing

Make ahead: Make it ahead and refrigerate it for up to 4 days, but don’t add the pasta yet because it will turn mushy when stored overnight. Instead, when ready to serve, cook the pasta with the prepared soup for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. If needed, add more broth.

Freezing: Freeze the soup (with the pasta included) in containers or resealable bags. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop, adding more broth as needed.

Variations

What I love about this Italian wedding soup is that it’s highly customizable. I’ll always love the authentic recipe the most, but if I need to swap a few ingredients here and there, it’s totally doable. Here are some ideas:

• For extra flavor, use Italian sausage (casings removed) to make the meatballs.
• Make chicken or turkey meatballs instead.
• Instead of spinach, use escarole or kale, although you may need to cook it longer until softened enough.
• Use other pasta shapes. Acini di pepe is the pasta we use in this recipe, but it can be hard to find sometimes. Other great choices are orzo or ditallini. Even pearl couscous will work.

Make it healthier by using chicken or turkey meatballs, as well as whole wheat pasta and low-sodium chicken broth.

Shortcuts: Use store-bought frozen meatballs and frozen or pre-diced vegetables.

Slow Cooker Method

Many of you have asked me how to make Italian wedding soup in the slow cooker. It’s super easy and very convenient. Here’s how to do it:

1. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning into a 6-quart slow cooker. Then, add the chicken broth and water, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8.
2. 30 to 45 minutes before the cook time is up, add the seared meatballs and the pasta. Combine. Cover with the lid and finish cooking until the meatballs are fully cooked through and the pasta is al dente and tender.
3. Season with more salt and pepper as needed. Add a few handfuls of fresh spinach and cook for an extra few minutes until softened.

Pairing and Serving Ideas

The classic way to serve this soup is with a side of rustic-style bread, such as Italian bread or any type of artisan bread. You can also serve it with Cheesy Garlic Bread, Rosemary Focaccia, or Garlic Herb Dinner rolls.

Also try this Italian Chopped Salad, which I love! For a lighter salad option, Lemon Arugula Salad is great.

It’s soup season! Here are some of our favorite comforting soups we’ve been loving all winter:

Recipe FAQs

This recipe was published in 2018 and updated in January 2023 to include new photos and information, plus a few recipe modifications.

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