This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Italian Wedding Soup is a classic Italian soup made with fresh greens, vegetables, and meatballs. Kids and adults will love this easy soup for lunch or dinner!
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Ashley here from Spoonful of Flavor to bring you a delicious classic Italian soup made from scratch with the freshest ingredients. If you haven’t tried Italian Wedding Soup then you are missing out. This light soup is packed with fresh vegetables, greens, meatballs and orzo pasta to create a meal that the entire family will love.
What is it?
In Italian it’s called minestra maritata, but it’s known in English as “Italian wedding soup,” and is more accurately translated as “wedded broths.” Italian Wedding Soup is actually not served at Italian weddings as the name suggests.
What is Italian Wedding Soup made of?
Italian Wedding Soup is made with ground beef, usually prepared in meatball form. We use both ground beef and ground pork for the meatballs. In addition, carrots, onion, celery, and spinach are added to the soup with orzo pasta. The soup is seasoned with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, and chicken broth. Serve it with shredded Parmesan for even more texture and flavor. It’s a light, broth-based soup packed with hearty ingredients.
How to make Stovetop Italian Wedding Soup
Everything for this soup cooks in a large Dutch oven to make prep and clean up easy.
- Step 1: Prepare the meatballs. Add the beef, pork, bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Toss and break up the mixture with your hands. Shape into small meatballs and transfer to a large plate. The meatballs should be about ¾ inch to 1-inch in size.
- Step 2: Cook the meatballs by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned, turning them occasionally to brown all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Step 3: Cook the vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and sauté until the veggies softened. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Sauté one additional minute.
- Step 4: Add the pasta and meatballs. Stir in the orzo and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and add the meatballs.
- Step 5: Cook the soup. Cover the soup and cook, stirring occasionally until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through about 10 minutes. Add the spinach during the last minute of cooking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this soup as a first course or the main dish. Either way, it’s filling and delicious! Top with freshly grated Parmesan for more flavor. Other serving suggestions are below.
- Bake a fresh, crispy loaf of homemade Garlic Bread or Parmesan Garlic Knots for dunking in your soup.
- Adding a simple Spinach Salad or copycat Olive Garden Salad to your meal is a great way to sneak in some more veggies.
- Italian Wedding Soup can be served as a starter for other main courses like Baked Chicken Parmesan, Shrimp Scampi or Pasta Puttanesca.
More Soup Recipes
If you love soup as much as we do, you’ll love this Italian Wedding Soup. You also have to try our slow cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup, Tortellini Minestrone Soup and Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipes. Soup is a great way to get veggies, protein and tons of flavor all in one bowl. It’s hearty and belly warming, and total comfort food.
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 8 ounces lean ground beef
- 8 ounces ground pork
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Finely shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Add beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Add in the bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Gently toss and break up the mixture with hands to coat and distribute. Shape mixture into very small meatballs, about ¾ inch to 1-inch round and transfer to a large plate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally to brown on all sides, about 5 or 6 minutes total. Transfer the meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.
For the soup:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions, and celery and sauté until veggies have softened about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Stir in orzo, then add chicken broth; season with salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Add meatballs, reduce heat to a light boil (about medium or medium-low heat.) Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes while adding spinach during the last minute of cooking.
- Serve warm and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Store leftover soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
