How in the world is this the first time I’ve ever attempted to make Italian wedding soup? It’s been my favorite for a long time and it can be hearty enough to eat as a meal…so you better believe I beefed it up to make sure it’s a full meal and used it as part of my meal prep this week. There’s about 40 little meatballs to go around 7 servings, plus lots of veggies and just enough pasta. Boom.
I used a mix of beef and pork for the meatballs here and they taste pretty damn good. Turkey could be an option if you don’t want to eat the other options but really…just go for the double meat here. It’s so good.
why should I
Cook the Pasta Separately?
While it may not seem worth adding an extra step when you have a pot full of broth that can be used to cook the acini de pepe pasta, for best results, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it to the finished soup. There are a couple reasons for this:
- This ensures you end up with perfectly cooked pasta that doesn’t sit in the hot broth for too long, making it mushy.
- It also protects your leftovers! Leaving the pasta out again keeps the pasta from getting mushy and it prevents the pasta from soaking up a bunch of your broth. That said, I’ve let this sit for 3-4 days in the fridge after adding the pasta to cooled soup and the texture was still great then.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate the meatballs for this Italian Wedding Soup at home:
- Ground pork – We’re using 2 types of ground meat here for maximum flavor, but I like to go heavier on the pork than the beef, so try to find a leaner grind of pork (around 90/10 works great). You could try chicken or turkey if you want something even leaner.
- Ground beef – This adds a great umami and depth of flavor to the meatballs. Again, aim for something lean (I like 93/7).
- Fresh parsley – Fresh herbs are key to the flavor of these meatballs, but if you absolutely had to, you could use dried instead. Just cut the amount by about half so it doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
- Bread crumbs – I like the Italian seasoned ones for this recipe. Regular old breadcrumbs or panko will work fine, but regular is better for the texture.
- Parmesan cheese – Some fresh grated cheese helps bind the meatballs.
- Garlic – If you can, grate the garlic cloves for the best distribution inside the meatballs.
- Lemon zest – You need a little brightness to help lift the flavors.
- Egg – A must have ingredient to bind the balls together.
For the remainder of the soup, here’s what you’ll need:
- Pasta – Acini de pepe is traditional in Italian Wedding Soup, but any small pasta will work. Other good options include ditalini, orzo, or even Israeli pearl couscous.
- Chicken stock – Go for the good stuff here since you’ll be using so much. I really like Swanson’s Chicken Stock – they have a regular and unsalted version.
- White wine – Adds a pop of brightness and acidity to the soup.
- Onion – I like a sweet onion best, but yellow or white would work too.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Baby spinach – I’ve made this with frozen spinach before, but I really prefer the fresh stuff since it holds up better in the soup and doesn’t bring extra water to the party.
- Garlic
- Butter – You could use more olive oil for sautéing the veggies if you prefer. I like the added flavor of the butter.
- Herbs – In addition to the dried oregano in this recipe, I also call for use of a fresh herb bunch to really help flavor the broth.
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Recipe
Italian Wedding Soup
Servings: servings
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients:
- 1 lb 90/10 lean ground pork
- 1/2 lb 93/7 grass fed ground beef
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs, (44 grams)
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, (11 grams)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced, (8 grams)
- 1 egg
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Soup Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup acini de pepe, (112 grams)
- 2 quarts Swanson Chicken Stock, (64 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, (4 fl oz)
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped, (140 grams)
- 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped, (200 grams)
- 1 cup celery, chopped, (125 grams)
- 2 cups baby spinach, (50 grams)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced, (8 grams)
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 herb bunch (I used fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all meatball ingredients, then roll into 1/2 to 3/4-inch meatballs. Set aside.
- In a deep pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add meatballs in a single layer (do multiple batches if needed), searing until browned on all sides. The meatballs will not completely cook through during this step, you're just browning the outside for maximum flavor. Set meatballs aside.
- Add butter until melted and bubbly, then add carrots, onion, and celery. Sauté until carrots begin to soften, about 5 minutes, adding garlic about 3 minutes in.
- Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Return the meatballs to the pot, then add chicken stock, oregano, and the herb bunch. Cover and bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are fork tender. Add the baby spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- While the soup is cooking, cook the acini de pepe according to package directions. Drain and drizzle/toss with olive oil to keep it from clumping up.
- Remove the herb bunch from the soup and remove from heat. Serve with cooked acini de pepe and top with parmesan cheese before serving, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Italian Wedding Soup” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 384kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 26g (9%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 15g (23%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 111mg (37%), Sodium: 1150mg (50%), Potassium: 728mg (21%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 4g (4%)
Check out this original recipe photo from way back in 2016! Oh how things have changed 🙂
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