Listen, ain’t nothing like a good ole Italian Wedding Soup. I make this one with chicken broth, kale, root veggies, juicy meatballs, and pasta, and those flavors just hit let me tell you! When you need a little cozy meal, making this is the move.
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Italian Wedding Soup Ingredient Notes
- Yellow onion- white or sweet onion will work as a swap.
- Kale- Spinach or any leafy greens also work.
- Egg- As a swap, you can use a couple tablespoons of yogurt or some ricotta cheese.
- Parsley- dried or fresh works.
- Panko breadcrumbs- regular or Italian-style breadcrumbs are great replacements.
- Ground beef and pork- Ground turkey or chicken also works.
- EVOO- just about any kind of oil can be used.
- Chicken stock– use whatever you’ve got on hand! Beef, chicken, or veggie stock or broth will all work here.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
Step 1: To make the meatballs, all you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and use your hands or a spatula to mix them up. Be sure that everything is well combined before spooning about a teaspoon of mixture at a time and rolling it into a tight ball.
Step 2: To make the soup, heat your oil in a large Dutch oven pot and sauté those finely chopped veggies. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender and almost translucent.
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Step 3: Add in the stock, pasta, and meatballs and boil until everything is good and cooked.
Step 4: The last thing you’ll add to the pot is the kale and any additional seasonings you’d like. Serve with a side of grated parm for a cheesy-salty touch!
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
This wonderful Italian Wedding Soup is made with warm, flavorful chicken broth, kale, tender root veggies, juicy meatballs, and loads of delicious pasta.
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Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 small yellow grated onion
- 1/3 cup minced kale
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 8 oz 85% lean ground beef
- 8 oz ground pork
For the Soup
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup minced yellow onions about 1 medium onion
- 1 cup 1/4 inch diced carrots about 3 medium carrots
- 1 cup 1/4 inch diced celery 2-3 medium stalks
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup orzo or other small pasta such as acini di pepe or tubetini
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz kale
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- In a medium bowl, stir together the onion, minced kale, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and ground meats and combine using your hands or a fork. Using about a heaping teaspoon portion, roll the mixture into meatballs; this will yield about 40 meatballs. set aside on a sheet pan. This step can be done in advance.
Make the Soup
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and meatballs, return to a boil and cook until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped kale and simmer for a couple of minutes more, until the kale is just wilted but still a vibrant green.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with a little extra grated cheese.
Notes
The meatballs can be made a day in advance. Form them and store on a sheet pan covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. For longer-term storage, arrange the meatballs on a sheet pan so they are not touching and freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container such as a freezer bag and freeze up to 2 months.
Given the large quantity of stock used here, this is the perfect recipe to use homemade if you have some on hand; not only does homemade stock taste better, but it’s generally more nutritious. If you don’t, store bought chicken stock is fine.
The greens in this recipe are flexible. You can also sub for spinach if you desire.
Can it be made ahead of time?
Absolutely, Homemade Italian Wedding Soup makes for a great meal prep option! Make this recipe at the beginning of your week and have a healthy-hearty lunch or dinner all week long! Heck, add a couple ladles to a thermos and send it with the kids to school. RECIPE TIP: The meatballs for this recipe can be made separately and served alongside with anything you’d like! Try them out with my Baked Spaghetti, Baked Ziti, or on top of Homemade Sicilian Pizza. For longer term storage, arrange the meatballs on a sheet pan so they are not touching and freeze until solid. Transfer them to an airtight container, like a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 2 months.Storing Leftover Soup
The easiest way to store soups and stews, if you’re going to eat them within a few days, is in the fridge. All you gotta do is transfer the soup in some sort of container with a tight fitting lid and get it in the fridge within 2 hours. Any recipe containing perishable ingredients such as meat or dairy needs to be refrigerated within that time.Can I freeze it?
Yes! Italian Wedding Soup can be frozen for up to 2 months. To do so, first cool the soup to room temperature then transfer it into individual quart containers. I love to whip an extra large batch of this recipe specifically to freeze a few emergency dinners for later. To reheat, you can either thaw the quart container in the fridge overnight or run some hot water around the outside to release it, then heat it up in a saucepan over the stovetop at medium heat.Nutrition
Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 933mg | Potassium: 819mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5937IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 3mg
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love all of these ingredients, I’d forgotten about this soup, but it has all the stuff (almost – have to find another non-bread binder for the meatballs) I eat regularly as part of my diet, but in a soup that I already like, so thank you!
This is a very delicious soup, and the addition of orzo totally makes this a complete meal on its own.
Perfection in a bowl! I LOVE the addition of orzo!!!
my absolute favorite soup – i love this – this recipe is delicious and the orzo was great!!!
This soup was perfect for a cold spell we had the other day. I ended up doing a slight variation and using some leftover meatballs I had in the fridge. Can’t wait to try with the meatball recipe next time!
This is one of my fave soups! I had some spinach leftover to use up and added it with the kale the last time I made this. So nourishing!