Hearty Italian Wedding Soup: The Ultimate Comfort Food Recipe with Homemade Meatballs
Nothing quite warms the soul like a steaming bowl of Italian Wedding Soup. This cherished classic brings together a harmonious blend of tender, bite-sized meatballs, delicate pasta, and an assortment of fresh vegetables in a rich, savory broth. Far more than just a soup, it’s a complete and deeply satisfying meal that embodies comfort and tradition, perfect for chilly evenings or any time you crave a taste of authentic Italian home cooking.
Our recipe elevates this culinary favorite with a special touch: irresistible homemade meatballs crafted from a delectable mix of spicy hot Italian sausage and savory ground beef. This unique combination ensures every spoonful is bursting with robust flavor, adding a subtle warmth and depth that perfectly complements the vibrant vegetables and tender acini di pepe pasta. Get ready to create a truly unforgettable soup that will undoubtedly become a beloved staple in your kitchen.
Why This Homemade Italian Wedding Soup Recipe is a Must-Try
Italian Wedding Soup is a celebrated dish for good reason, and our homemade version truly shines. It’s a symphony of textures and tastes, making it much more than just a starter; it’s a deeply satisfying meal in itself. Here’s why this recipe stands out as a quintessential comfort food and a fantastic choice for your next family dinner:
- Unbeatable Flavor Profile: The magic truly begins with the meatballs. By combining both hot Italian sausage and ground beef, we create meatballs that are incredibly tender, juicy, and packed with a robust, slightly spicy flavor. This dual-meat approach provides a complexity and depth that simple beef-only meatballs often miss, ensuring a rich foundation for the entire soup. Each bite of these perfectly seasoned, bite-sized morsels is a burst of savory goodness.
- Hearty and Wholesome: This isn’t a light broth you’ll quickly forget. It’s generously loaded with nourishing ingredients. Beyond the succulent meatballs, you’ll find a colorful array of classic Italian vegetables – tender carrots, crisp celery, and sweet onions – which are gently sautéed to release their natural sugars and aromatic essences. These form the traditional “soffritto,” the aromatic backbone of many Italian dishes, adding layers of intricate flavor to our rich chicken broth. The fresh spinach also provides a healthy dose of greens that wilt beautifully into the soup.
- Comfort in Every Spoonful: There’s a reason Italian Wedding Soup is synonymous with ultimate comfort. The warm, inviting broth, the delicate pasta (specifically acini di pepe, tiny orzo-like pearls that wonderfully soak up the delicious liquid), and the fresh, vibrant spinach all contribute to a truly heartwarming and soul-satisfying experience. It’s the perfect antidote to a cold day, a cozy weeknight dinner, or a nourishing meal to share with loved ones. It feels like a warm hug in a bowl!
- Easy to Customize: While we provide a classic recipe, Italian Wedding Soup is wonderfully versatile, allowing for endless customization. You can easily adjust the spice level of your meatballs, swap in different small pasta shapes (like orzo or ditalini), or even introduce other leafy greens like escarole or kale for a different texture and flavor. This adaptability ensures the soup can always be tailored to your preference or what ingredients you have on hand, making it a flexible and forgiving recipe.
- A Complete Meal: With plenty of protein from the flavorful meatballs, satisfying carbohydrates from the pasta, and a wealth of vitamins and fiber from the vegetables, this soup is a remarkably well-rounded and complete meal all on its own. Serve it with a slice of warm, crusty bread, and you have a fulfilling and balanced dinner ready to go with minimal fuss.
This recipe transforms simple, fresh ingredients into an extraordinary dish, proving that homemade always tastes best. Let’s dive into creating this delightful Italian classic that’s sure to become a family favorite.
Ingredients You Will Need for Authentic Italian Wedding Soup
To create this soul-warming Italian Wedding Soup, you’ll need a selection of fresh, high-quality ingredients. Finding all measurements, precise ingredient quantities, and detailed instructions is easy in the printable recipe card located at the very end of this post. For now, here’s a visual overview of the components that make this soup so delicious:
Ingredient Information & Expert Substitution Tips
Understanding your ingredients and their potential substitutions is key to culinary success and flexibility in the kitchen. Here’s a deeper look into what you’ll need for this delicious Italian Wedding Soup, along with tips for customization:
- MEATBALLS: Our recipe features a dynamic duo of hot Italian sausage and ground beef for the meatballs. The hot Italian sausage contributes a fantastic savory flavor with a pleasant kick of spice, while the ground beef ensures a tender, rich texture. This combination is truly what makes these meatballs stand out in the soup, providing a deep, satisfying taste.
- Substitution Suggestions: Feel free to experiment with your preferred meat combinations. An all-pork meatball (like those in our Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup) offers a milder, sweeter flavor. All-beef meatballs are also an excellent choice for a more traditional taste. If opting for leaner meats like ground turkey or chicken, remember they tend to be less flavorful. We highly recommend boosting their taste with extra seasonings such as more Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to prevent them from becoming bland.
- Moisture Trick: Soaking the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs in milk before mixing them into the meat is a crucial step. This allows the bread to absorb moisture, creating exceptionally tender and juicy meatballs. Don’t skip this simple trick!
- PASTA: The traditional pasta for Italian Wedding Soup is acini di pepe, which translates to “peppercorns” due to their tiny, pearl-like shape. These small pasta balls are ideal because they cook quickly and beautifully absorb the rich flavors of the broth, adding a delightful chew without overwhelming the soup. They are bite-sized, ensuring a pleasant texture in every spoonful.
- Substitution Suggestions: If acini di pepe is unavailable, several other small pasta varieties work wonderfully. Orzo is a fantastic alternative, similar in size and texture. You could also use ditalini (small tubes), alphabet pasta, or even tiny shell pasta. If you plan to make a large batch of soup ahead of time, consider cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual servings just before eating. This prevents it from getting too soft or soaking up too much broth, which can make the soup thicker than desired.
- BROTH: A high-quality chicken broth is absolutely essential for the base of this soup. It forms the canvas for all the other vibrant flavors to meld together.
- Expert Tip: We strongly recommend using standard chicken broth or preparing your own from bouillon for optimal flavor. Low-sodium chicken broth, while a healthier option for some, often results in a less seasoned soup overall. If you do use a low-sodium option, be prepared to adjust and add more salt to taste throughout the cooking process to ensure all the flavors are properly enhanced and the soup isn’t bland.
- VEGETABLES: The classic trio of celery, onions, and carrots forms the aromatic foundation, famously known as “soffritto” in Italian cooking. Sautéing these vegetables properly allows them to sweeten and soften, building a deep, complex flavor base for the broth.
- Adding Greens: Fresh baby spinach is stirred in at the very end, wilting quickly from the residual heat of the soup. It adds a fresh, slightly earthy counterpoint to the rich flavors and a beautiful splash of green.
- Substitution Suggestions for Greens: Other excellent leafy green options that can be used include escarole (traditional in some regions), kale, or chard. Just keep in mind that heartier greens like kale or chard will require a few minutes of simmering directly in the hot broth to soften properly, unlike delicate baby spinach which wilts almost instantly.
- CHEESE: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese is not merely a garnish; it’s an integral part of the Italian Wedding Soup experience. It melts slightly into the hot soup, adding a salty, umami richness that ties all the flavors together beautifully.
- Serving Suggestion: Always have extra Parmesan on hand for serving, allowing everyone to add more to their individual bowls for an extra layer of deliciousness.
- OTHER SEASONINGS: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, along with minced garlic, are vital for layering flavors in both the meatballs and the broth. Always taste and adjust seasonings to your personal preference throughout the cooking process.
Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Your Delicious Italian Wedding Soup
These step-by-step photos and detailed instructions are here to help you visualize and successfully make this incredible recipe. For a convenient printable version with all precise measurements and full instructions, simply Jump to Recipe at the bottom of this post.
Making homemade Italian Wedding Soup is a truly rewarding experience, and these clear, easy-to-follow steps will ensure perfect results every time. Follow along to create a rich, hearty, and flavorful dish that your family will adore.
- **Prepare the Meatball Base:** In a medium-sized bowl, place the Italian seasoned bread crumbs and milk. Stir them together thoroughly and allow the breadcrumbs to soak for a few minutes. This crucial step ensures the bread fully absorbs the milk, creating an essential base for exceptionally moist and tender meatballs.
- **Combine Meatball Ingredients:** To the moistened breadcrumb mixture, add the ground beef, hot Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, black pepper, salt, eggs, minced garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese. Using your hands, gently but thoroughly work all the ingredients together until they are just combined and evenly distributed. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough meatballs.
- **Form Small Meatballs:** Using a teaspoon or a small melon baller, scoop out small portions of the meat mixture. Roll each portion between your palms to form smooth, round, bite-sized meatballs, approximately ¾ inch in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet as you form them. We prefer smaller meatballs for this soup so they are easy to enjoy in each spoonful without needing to be cut.
- **Sear the Meatballs (Optional but Recommended):** Coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Cook the meatballs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, searing them on all sides until they develop a beautiful golden-brown crust (this usually takes 2-3 minutes per batch). They do not need to cook through at this stage, as they will finish cooking in the soup. Transfer the seared meatballs to a plate and set aside. This step adds significant depth of flavor to the finished soup.
- **Sauté the Soup Vegetables:** Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced celery, onion, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and the vegetables have begun to soften, typically about 5-7 minutes. This process builds the foundational flavor of your broth.
- **Season the Vegetables:** Add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Sauté for one minute longer, just until the garlic becomes fragrant and its raw edge disappears, being careful not to burn it.
- **Add Broth and Bring to a Boil:** Pour the chicken broth into the pot with the sautéed vegetables. Bring the mixture to a strong boil. Once boiling, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning by adding additional salt and/or pepper, if desired, to ensure it is perfectly flavorful.
- **Cook Pasta and Meatballs:** Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the acini di pepe pasta and the seared meatballs to the soup. Continue to simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender to your liking (al dente is preferred) and the meatballs are cooked through.
- **Stir in the Spinach:** Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the fresh baby spinach. The residual heat of the soup will cause the spinach to wilt quickly, adding a vibrant green color and a fresh, healthy note to the dish almost instantly.
- **Serve and Enjoy:** Ladle the hot Italian Wedding Soup into bowls. Garnish generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and savor the incredible flavors of your homemade creation!
Your homemade Italian Wedding Soup is now ready to be enjoyed! This hearty and flavorful dish is sure to impress everyone at your table.
Frequently Asked Questions & Essential Expert Tips
While not strictly mandatory, we highly recommend browning the meatballs. This crucial step, known as searing, creates a beautiful golden-brown crust through the Maillard reaction, which not only locks in moisture but also develops a deeper, richer flavor that truly enhances the entire soup. If you’re short on time, you can drop the raw meatballs straight into the simmering soup, but note that they will require an extra few minutes to cook through, and the overall flavor depth will be slightly reduced.
Absolutely, for convenience, you can certainly use your favorite store-bought frozen meatballs. If using, you can usually add them directly to the simmering broth along with the pasta, allowing enough time for them to heat through and fully cook according to package directions. Keep in mind that homemade meatballs often offer a superior flavor and texture due to the fresh ingredients and custom seasoning, but frozen ones are a great time-saver for busy weeknights.
Yes, this soup is wonderful for making ahead! You can easily prepare the entire Italian Wedding Soup a day in advance. Allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to enjoy, gently reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. If you anticipate having leftovers or making a very large batch, consider cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual bowls just before serving. This prevents the pasta from absorbing too much broth and becoming mushy, ensuring a better texture and consistency for longer.
Yes, Italian Wedding Soup freezes exceptionally well! Once the soup has fully cooled, transfer it to freezer-safe airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat gently on the stovetop. If needed, you might want to add a little extra broth or water to adjust the consistency. As an alternative, you can prepare a larger batch of meatballs, cook them, and freeze them separately. This allows you to quickly add pre-made meatballs to a freshly prepared broth and vegetables, significantly cutting down on future prep time for a quick weeknight meal.
Store any leftover Italian Wedding Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, you can use the microwave for individual servings or gently warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until heated through. If the soup has thickened too much in the fridge (which often happens as the pasta continues to absorb liquid), you can add a splash of extra chicken broth or water to thin it back to your desired consistency.
Additional Expert Tips for Perfect Italian Wedding Soup:
- Meatball Size Matters: We find that teaspoon-sized meatballs, approximately ¾ inch round, are perfect for this soup. They are truly bite-sized, ensuring you get a delightful meatball in almost every spoonful without being overwhelming, and they cook evenly.
- Broth Quality is Key: For the most flavorful soup, use a good quality standard chicken broth. Avoid low-sodium broths unless you plan to significantly increase the added salt, as proper seasoning of the broth is crucial for enhancing all the other ingredients’ flavors. If the broth itself is bland, the whole soup will lack depth.
- Pasta Choice and Broth Absorption: While acini di pepe is traditional, orzo or ditalini are excellent alternatives. These small pastas absorb a fair amount of broth as they cook and sit. If you prefer a very brothy soup, you might want to use slightly less pasta (e.g., ½ cup) or be prepared to add more broth when reheating leftovers to maintain the desired consistency.
- Greens Variations: If you’re not using spinach, consider other delicious leafy greens like escarole (a traditional choice in many Italian Wedding Soup recipes), kale, or Swiss chard. Just remember that heartier greens like kale or chard will require a few extra minutes of simmering directly in the hot broth to wilt and soften properly, compared to quick-wilting baby spinach.
Delicious Serving Suggestions for Italian Wedding Soup
This hearty Italian Wedding Soup is a complete and satisfying meal in itself, but a few simple additions can elevate your dining experience even further, turning a comforting dish into a truly memorable feast. Here are our favorite ways to serve it:
- Parmesan Perfection: A generous dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is absolutely non-negotiable! It melts ever so slightly into the warm soup, adding a salty, nutty, and umami-rich finish that beautifully complements the savory meatballs and flavorful broth. Always have extra at the table, allowing everyone to add more to their individual bowls for an extra layer of deliciousness.
- Crusty Bread for Dipping: Pair your soulful soup with a warm, crusty bread. Our homemade Italian bread is an ideal choice, perfect for soaking up every last drop of that rich, flavorful broth. Other delicious options include warm garlic bread, a slice of chewy focaccia, or even simple toasted baguette slices brushed with olive oil.
- Fresh Green Salad: To beautifully balance the richness of the soup, serve a light and refreshing leafy dinner salad on the side. A simple vinaigrette dressing made with olive oil, vinegar, and a touch of herbs will provide a lovely, bright contrast and add a touch of freshness to your meal, cleansing the palate between spoonfuls of soup.
- A Delightful Dessert: Conclude your comforting Italian meal with a classic Italian dessert. A scoop of creamy gelato, a few crisp biscotti for dipping in coffee, or a light and wobbly panna cotta would be perfect sweet endings.
Whether enjoyed on its own as a fulfilling meal or with these delicious accompaniments, this homemade Italian Wedding Soup promises a delightful and satisfying experience for everyone gathered at your table.
More Heartwarming Soup Recipes to Enjoy
If you loved this Italian Wedding Soup, you’re sure to enjoy these other comforting and flavorful soup recipes from our kitchen:
- Classic Pasta Fagioli
- Hearty Lasagna Soup
- Wholesome Minestrone Soup
- Flavorful Italian Sausage Tomato Orzo Soup
- Nourishing Beef Barley Soup
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Italian Wedding Soup
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
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Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound hot Italian sausage
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil for pan searing
Soup
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup acini di pepe pasta or up to 3/4 cup
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- parmesan cheese for garnish
Things You’ll Need
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Large soup pot
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Skillet
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Melon baller or teaspoon
Before You Begin
- We made about 42 meatballs – teaspoon size was perfect – about ¾ inch round.
- The meatballs can be dropped straight into the soup without being browned first. This will take away some of the flavor and will require an extra few minutes of cook time, but it’s perfectly fine to skip the pan-searing.
- Acini di pepe is a small pasta, similar in size to pearl couscous. It soaks up a good amount of broth – ½ cup – ¾ cup will leave you with some broth in your soup. You can substitute with other small pasta such as orzo or ditalini if preferred.
- We recommend using standard chicken broth or making your own broth with bouillon/water. Using a low sodium chicken broth will give you a soup that is lacking proper seasoning. When you have enough salt in the broth, all of the other flavors are also enhanced.
- The meatballs are made with a combination of hot Italian sausage and ground beef which lends plenty of flavor and adds a dash of spice. You can substitute with any combo of meat you prefer. If you choose to use ground turkey or chicken, I would recommend adding more seasonings as they have less flavor and can be bland otherwise.
- Greens that might be substituted for the spinach include escarole, kale, or chard. These greens may need to simmer a few minutes to wilt properly as opposed to the spinach which is immediate.
Instructions
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Place the bread crumbs and milk in a bowl and stir together to allow the bread to absorb the milk for an extra moist breadcrumb.
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Add in the ground beef, sausage, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt, eggs, minced garlic, and parmesan cheese. Work together with your hands to combine the meatball ingredients evenly.
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Using a teaspoon or melon baller, form small meatballs and place on a baking sheet. We like a smaller meatball for this recipe so that it is bite-sized in our soup. Roll the mixture in your hands to form a smooth, round ball.
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Coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil. Heat over medium. Cook the meatballs, working in batches, to sear on all sides. They do not need to cook through, but should develop a nice, golden brown crust (2-3 minutes per batch). Set the meatballs aside.
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Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot. Add diced celery, onion, and carrots, and cook until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have begun to soften.
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Add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper and saute 1 minute longer.
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Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring mixture to a boil. Taste the broth and add additional salt and/or pepper, if desired.
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Add the pasta and meatballs to the soup and simmer over low heat for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through.
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Stir in the spinach and remove the soup from heat. The spinach will wilt right away.
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Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store the soup in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over medium-low heat on the stovetop.
- Freezing – Allow the soup to fully cool then transfer it to an air-tight container or large ziptop bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can also prepare the meatballs separately, freeze, and toss them into a fresh batch of soup which will help cut down on future prep time.
Nutrition
The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.