Homemade Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Published January 1, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This super tasty wedding soup recipe is loaded with homemade meatballs, veggies, escarole and pasta that’s simmered in delicious chicken stock.
It’s that time of year where soup is the main entrée. Just like in my Scotch Broth Soup or my Tuscan Vegetable Soup, It’s comforting, it’s hearty, and perfect for those cold wintery days.
What Is It
Italian wedding soup is an Italian American dish, mush like Chicken Parmigiana or Cioppino, that has been adapted and popularized by Italians who immigrated to America. It consists of:
- Meatballs
- Mirepoix
- Chicken Stock
- Acini di Pepe Pasta
- Escarole
Why Do They Call It Wedding Soup
It originally stems from the Italian word “minestra mariata, which literally translates to “wedded broths.” Italian Americans adapted it to wedding soup, however It’s more about the marrying of flavors in a broth as opposed to it being served at weddings in Italy, which it is not.
How to Make Wedding Soup Meatballs
Making meatballs is really easy to make. Here’s a quick overview of how to make them:
- Add ground beef, ground pork, small diced yellow onions, finely minced garlic, finely minced parsley, grated parmesan cheese, eggs, and water-soaked and squeezed out Italian Bread, salt and pepper to a large bowl.
- Mix with your hands until completely combined and form it into small ping pong sized balls.
- Place on a sheet tray and bake until browned and cooked through, or pan roast in some oil in a pan and cook through, finish in an oven, or simmer in the soup broth at the end.
Set them aside until it’s time to serve up the soup
This recipe makes quite a few meatballs, which I did on purpose so I could freeze half the batch.
How to Make the Soup
Once the meatballs are done cook, the soup is incredibly easy to prepare.
- Add the mirepoix to a large-size pot with some oil on low heat to sweat the vegetables for about 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Add in the chicken stock and simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water and set aside.
- Once everything is done, it is then time to plate up your soup.
Do not brown the vegetables.
How to Serve It
If you plan on serving this soup right away and finishing it on the same day, I advise you to add everything together in the pot and serve it.
If you’re going to be grazing all day for a few days, then plate it like this so that the greens to wilt and the pasta doesn’t turn to mush:
- Add some of the soup broth with vegetables to a bowl.
- Place in some escarole (sub with baby spinach if you’d like).
- Add in some cooked acini di pepe.
- Place in some meatballs.
- Grate in Parmesan cheese and serve
Make-Ahead and Reheat
How to Make Ahead: Make the soup and keep the meatballs, broth with vegetables and acini di pepe separate until the day of serving it.
How to Reheat: Place your desired amount of wedding soup into a small size pot and heat over low heat until hot. You can also simply heat in a microwave until hot.
How to Store: Place in a container with a lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze: You can absolutely freeze it and it does so well. Once the soup is cool in the fridge in a container with a lid, place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating it.
chef notes + tips
- This recipe makes quite a few meatballs, which I did on purpose so I could freeze half the batch.
More Amazing Comfort Food Recipes
- Italian Sausage with Peppers and Farro
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl with Falafel
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Chicken Satay Recipe
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
Homemade Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 pounds ground pork
- 1 peeled small diced yellow onion
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup finely minced parsley
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 loaf Italian bread soaked in water and squeezed
- 5 eggs
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 peeled medium diced yellow onion
- 3 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 4 stalks medium diced celery
- 4 peeled medium diced carrots
- 128 ounces chicken stock
- 2 heads escarole or 8 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 pound cooked and cooled acini di pepe
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°.
- Meatballs: Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed in and form small ping pong sized meatballs and set them on sheet trays lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven at 400° for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Freeze ½ of the meatballs and set the other ½ aside.
- Soup: Add the olive oil to a large soup pot along with the onions, garlic, celery and carrots and sweat over low heat for 15 minutes. Do not brown them.
- Add in the broth and simmer over low to medium heat for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- To Plate: Place some of the broth and vegetables into a bowl. Add in some of the cooked and cooled acini di pepe along with a small handful of escarole, and 5-6 meatballs.
- Grate on optional parmesan cheese.
Notes
- How to Make Ahead: Make the soup and keep the meatballs, broth with vegetables and acini di pepe separate until the day of serving it.
- How to Reheat: Place your desired amount of wedding soup into a small size pot and heat over low heat until hot. You can also simply heat in a microwave until hot.
- How to Store: Place in a container with a lid and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to Freeze: You can absolutely freeze it and it does so well. Once the soup is cool in the fridge in a container with a lid, place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating it.
- This recipe makes quite a few meatballs, which I did on purpose so I could freeze half the batch.
Nutrition
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This was incredibly satisfying to make and to eat. Those meatballs are sooo good.
One word: ridiculous! This was so good! I cut the meatball recipe in half and still had to freeze some!
Thanks Chef,
This is the best soup I have ever made. Following instructions, everything turned out Great 😌! We are Italian now and my husband thinks it’s the best ever also😉
Your recipe reminds me of a time long ago, when I was very young and I ordered Italian Wedding soup at a local Italian restaurant in NYC’s Little Italy. Thank you for the walk down memory lane. And thank you for this delicious recipe. I did go ahead and add some parmesan cheese rind to the cooking stock for a little added depth of flavor. Turns out it was a good move. Again thank you!
Billy, this soup looks so amazing! I need to try it out before it gets too warm here in Phoenix, which is like March, LOL
perfect soup to get you through winter
Billy this soup looks AMAZING and those meatballs, especially. I also appreciate that you’ve really explained exactly how to make this recipe, which I intend to make this weekend! 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks amazing! With all this horrible cold weather, I need a bowl of this soup STAT