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This Authentic Italian wedding soup is like a bowl of pure comfort and a hug from an Italian Nonna! Mini meatballs, escarole, carrots, and acini di pepe pasta make this the best anytime soup!
I’m not Italian by heritage but I married into an Italian family. There were things I had to know how to make that were “Nonna approved”. Sauce, meatballs, homemade pasta, and wedding soup.
I grew up on soup that was a meal, not just a precursor or a side dish to the main meal. Soups were hearty, stick to the ribs, and comforting to the soul. Or, as I coined the phrase years ago – “Soup is like a hug from your grandma; warm, comforting and good for the soul!”
What is Italian Wedding Soup?
Traditionally it’s chicken stock that has mini beef and pork meatballs, green veggies (like escarole), Acini de Pepe pasta, parmesan, and egg.
Does it have chicken in it? If you ask me and the Italians in Mr. Fantabulous’ family. No. In my opinion, adding chicken to it is like “Hey, here’s chicken noodle soup with mini meatballs.” But can you add it? Sure, just don’t serve it to me, k? You could poach some chicken breasts in your Instant Pot, shred it and add it after you add in the egg and parmesan.
Wedding soup comes from the Italian phrase “minestera maritata” or “married soup”. It’s the marriage of greens and meat.
What do you need to make Italian Wedding Soup?
- A KILLER recipe! *See below!
- Mini pork and beef meatballs *again, see recipe below)
- Escarole – I’ve seen folks use spinach and kale but I’m sorry, it just doesn’t have the same flavor as what escarole has.
- Carrots, celery, onions
- Acini de Pepe
- Parmesan Egg Drizzle
What is Acini de Pepe and what other pasta could you use?
In Italian, it means “seeds of pepper” or peppercorns. It’s a tiny round-shaped pasta that you tend to boil right in the soup.
If you can’t find it you could use orzo, stellini, ditalini or tubetti pasta. Couscous doesn’t quite work and tends to turn gummy.
I know someone will ask so I might as well put it out there. Yes, you can use cooked rice (I would say wild rice blend would be awesome) but make sure you cook it in stock!.
Let’s talk Meatballs
Meatballs to me are rarely all beef. I find the mixture of beef and pork lends to the most tender meatballs as well as the most flavorful. You will also find that almost all of my meatballs use a panade.
A panade is where you put bread in a bowl and add milk to the bowl. The bread soaks up the milk after about 5-10 minutes and creates a panade. You may have heard it called “milk bread”. To me, it’s critical to help the meatballs retain their tenderness.
In most meatball applications I bake mine (either par-bake and then finish in a sauce or bake fully as I do in my Gobbler Thanksgiving Meatballs).
However, in Italian Wedding soup, they are neither. They are cooked directly in the pot. Since they are so tiny they cook in boiling stock with the escarole and Acini de Pepe.
Could you fry or roast them first? You *could* but honestly, I tried both and didn’t like the flavor they imparted to the soup. These meatballs should be soft and tender not only on the inside but also on the outside.
While we’re talking meatballs, let’s talk shaping. These are TINY. I use my Jenluca Mini Cookie Scoop. It’s only 2 teaspoons full which makes it so much easier to make. Just mix the ingredients, scoop and put on the baking sheet. If need be, plop the scoop into damp hands to make them round.
Nonna-approved tips for The Best Italian Wedding Soup
There are a few things that are crucial to making truly amazing soup. From my decades of making this, this is what I consider tried and true Nonna approved tips!
- Use a panade when making your meatballs. This is crucial to keep them moist!
- Use both pork and beef in your meatball mixture. Could you use ground chicken? You could but you may need to add a tad more panade and maybe a little fat to keep them from getting tough.
- MINI meatballs – you do not make big honkin’ sized meatballs as you would for meatballs and spaghetti
- No shredded chicken. This isn’t Italian Chicken Noodle soup. Okay fine add it if you want
- Escarole – no kale, no spinach but escarole. Spinach doesn’t give it the right flavor and kale is just funky
- Yes, you need to add the egg and parmesan (well okay you can skip if you’re allergic) but it helps give it that unctuous flavor and mouth-feel
- Use tiny pasta. It doesn’t take over the dish but does give some body to the stock.
- Cook the pasta in the pot with the rest of the stuff. If you need more stock, add it. The pasta will plump even more after it’s fully cooked so you may need to add a tad more stock upon reheating. That’s completely fine and normal.
BONUS TIP
I don’t list it here BUT if you have leftover parmesan cheese rinds, SAVE THEM! I keep a baggie of them in my freezer. When I make my soups I’ll toss one of the rinds in for about 15 minutes to help flavor the soup.
In this recipe, I toss the rind in when I put the meatballs in to boil. I remove the rind and discard it when it’s all done and the egg mixture has been stirred in.
How to make Italian Wedding Soup
Making the actual soup is easy. Where I’d say you’ll spend the majority of your time is making the mini meatballs and chopping the vegetables. This is something that would be great to get the kids involved! Have one mix the meatballs and the other scoop/roll them out.
- Mix the meatball mixture, shape into mini meatballs and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- In a dutch oven or stockpot, sauté up your carrots, onions, and celery. Once they are translucent, add the stock and bring to a boil.
- When the veggies are sauteing, chop up the escarole. When the stock is boiling, add in the escarole, mini meatballs, and the Acini de Pepe. Stir to combine.
- While the meatballs, pasta, and escarole are cooking, whisk together the eggs and parmesan cheese.
- When the meatballs are cooked through, slowly stir in the egg parmesan mixture to form thin strands of egg. Cook for about a minute and season to taste.
What pairs well with Italian Wedding Soup?
If it’s just me, this is a meal. Just give me some crusty bread and I’m in heaven! Since this is deemed Italian, I tend to serve this with:
- stuffed shells
- homemade spaghetti
- chicken parmesan
- Panzanella Salad
- Pork Ragout
- Crusty Bread and Tuscan Dipping Oil
There’s not much that I don’t pair with this. This is just such a great recipe to have in your wheelhouse. It freezes beautifully and is one that I honestly have on hand all year long!
Speaking of freezing…
Can you freeze Italian Wedding Soup?
Absolutely! I make a huge pot of this monthly and freeze it in smaller containers. Just ladle into your freezer-safe containers leaving a 1″ gap at the top. Once cooled completely, place the lid and put it in the freezer.
This makes great dishes to drop off with your family and friends! Just drop off a container of soup (fresh or frozen), a loaf of crusty bread and reheating instructions. This would put a smile on anyone’s face!
What I often do is make up extra and give it some of my elderly senior friends that I know don’t often get homecooked meals. I’ll stock up their freezers with this for them.
To reheat it’s best to thaw in the fridge overnight. When to heat it up, just place the soup back into a pot on the stove or in the microwave and heat until heated through.
A Great Time Saver for Italian Wedding Soup
When I know I’m going to make a big pot of this soup I’ll make up a huge batch of meatballs. Yes, this means sitting at the kitchen island and rolling meatballs for an hour or so.
Essentially I’ll double the meatball recipe and save one tray for the pot and one tray I’ll put in the freezer. This is known as flash freezing. Once the meatballs are frozen, I’ll transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
This is a great way to get the kids all involved on a snowy afternoon…or when you need help. I tend to just put on a movie, sit at my island and scoop and roll until they are all done.
The next time I’m making this soup, all I have to do is grab my bag of frozen meatballs and toss them into the boiling stock. You may need to add another minute or two of boiling but that’s it! Trust me, it’s a HUGE time saver as those little mini meatballs are a labor of love!
More Soup Recipes that I know you’ll love!
Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Blend Rice Soup (with Crock Pot instructions too!)
This Family Favorite Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Blend Rice Soup recipe is done in minutes and will quickly become your FAVORITE soup! Ladle up a bowl of this luscious, rich, flavor-packed soup today! It’s the perfect comfort food!
Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup
This Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Spinach Soup will definitely warm you up on a cold day. With the flavors of Tuscany, you can’t help but fall in love with this soup! Serve this with some crusty bread!
Authentic Italian Wedding Soup
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
This Authentic Italian wedding soup is like a bowl of pure comfort and a hug from an Italian Nonna! Mini meatballs, escarole, carrots, and acini di pepe pasta make this the best anytime soup!
Ingredients
Soup
- 4–8 cups chopped escarole (1 head)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots (about 3)
- 1 cup finely chopped celery (about 2 stalks)
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 12 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoon grated parmesan plus more for garnish
- 1 cup dry acini de pepe
Meatballs
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 2 slices of torn bread soaked in 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a large bowl add all of the meatball mixture and mix to just combine. Do not overwork the meat as it will get tough. Using a small cookie scoop or a Tablespoon, scoop the meatballs into 1/2” round balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate. Repeat to make all of the meatballs. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot over medium heat add the oil. When the oil starts to shimmer add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring. Sautee for 6-8 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil scraping the bottom. Once it starts to boil, add the meatballs, pasta and escarole. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through stirring often.
- In a bowl whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoon of parmesan cheese. Turn heat down on the soup to medium. Start stirring the soup around in a circle. Continue stirring and gradually drizzle in the egg mixture to form thin strands of egg; ~ 1 minute. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Mary says
I made this for a soup contests and wine 1st place out of 25 soups. Absolutely delicious
Lori says
Congratulations!!! Thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Andi says
This is excellent and perfect. Last time I made this recipe, I added some very thinly sliced yellow crooked neck squash. The color was nice and the thinness of it meant no conflict with the leafy greens. I have to admit, I wish you have a picture of this soup with the spaghetti, chicken parmesan, pork ragout, stuffed shells and all! Tonight, I need you advice about freezing as I’m trying to get ahead of my kid coming home to visit. Thanks!
Lori says
Hi Andi!
Thank you for the kind words. I have an entire section on the post titled “Can you freeze Italian Wedding Soup?” with instructions how to do so.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Andi says
This is excellent and perfect. Last time I made this recipe, I added some very thinly sliced yellow crooked neck squash. The color was nice and the thinness of it meant no conflict with the leafy spinach. I have to admit, I wish you have a picture of this soup with the spaghetti, chicken parmesan, pork ragout, stuffed shells and all! Tonight, I need you advice about freezing as I’m trying to get ahead of my kid coming home to visit. Thanks!
Lynne Ruggio says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’ve been playing with wedding soup, not really knowing what I was doing, but I came across your recipe and I’m so excited I was 90% there! I just finished simmering a chicken stock, can’t wait to come home tonight and put it all together, I’m a fan will be stalking your site from here on out!😜thank you!!
Lori says
WOOHOO! I can’t wait for you to try it! It’s my favorite soup ever!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Anna says
I just want to say that when you live in a food desert that has no idea about selling escarole, you need to use another green veggie. If you don’t think spinach is a good alternative, would chard or another bitter green work?
Lori says
I get it Anna. Where I used to live, it was pretty desolate too as to what they offered variety-wise. Agreed, spinach is NOT the answer. I actually hate spinach in it. You could try mustard greens, chard, or even kale. Let me know if that works for you.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Julie says
Excellent flavor and good cooking tips
Lori says
So happy you loved it Julie; thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Diane says
The recipe says 1 tsp parsley, which leads me to think dried parsley. But the picture of your meatballs looks like fresh parsley is used.
Which would you suggest?
Lori says
Hi Diane!
It’s dried. When I recommend to use fresh, I’ll notate that.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Dana says
I love this recipe! Thank you for giving the exact instructions and tips. I made the 1/2 ground beef and 1/2 ground chicken version and it came out so delicious. Today I am going to make your Blueberry Muffin Bread! I am so glad I found your site in a web search for Italian Wedding Soup!
Thank you so much!
Lori says
Thank you so much Dana! That soup is my all time favorite soup. And OMG you’re going to LOVE the bread! I have to limit how often I make it as we easily could eat a loaf a day!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Suzanne B says
I love making soups but I have never tried The Italian Wedding Soup. I best get to it.
Lori says
OMG it’s my favorite soup!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Deb Ford says
ahhh – One of my favorites!
Lori says
Same!
Best Kitchen Wishes!