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Italian Wedding Soup
4.5 from 57 votes

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup balances tender meatballs made from sausage and ground beef with a flavorful broth filled with small acini de pepe pasta, spinach, carrots, onion, and garlic. The soup offers a hearty, warm texture with savory meat and fresh vegetables, suitable as a comforting starter or light meal.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 301 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian, American

Ingredients

For The Meatballs
  • ½ pound Italian sausage
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • ⅓ cup bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 1 large egg
For The Soup
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 medium white onion diced
  • 1 large carrot about 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • 64 ounces chicken broth low sodium
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 cup acini de pepe pasta small, round shaped pasta
  • 2 cups spinach chopped

Instructions

For The Meatballs
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl place the sausage, beef, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon of pepper, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and an egg.
  2. Mix meat with hands until just mixed. Scoop into 1 tablespoon meatballs, about 28-30 meatballs. Keep these scoops on the smaller side and gently roll each meatball smooth with a quick roll with your hands.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot and warm over medium high heat. Add half the meatballs and brown. Turn the meatballs regularly, about 4 minutes per batch. Place meatballs on paper towel lined plate after browning. Repeat browning with the second half of the meatballs in the pot.
For The Soup
  1. Place the diced onion and diced carrot in the same pot. Cook in the meatball drippings for about three minutes over medium heat to soften the vegetables. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Pour broth and one cup of water into the pot. Turn up the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a roiling boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat until the soup is at a simmer.
  3. Add meatballs and adjust the heat up so the pot continues to simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, some of the meatballs will begin to come to the surface.
  4. Pour pasta in the pot and cook at a simmer for 9-10 minutes until the pasta is soft. You can turn the heat down to medium-low until ready to serve.
  5. Place chopped spinach to the pot right before serving, and cook until wilted about one minute. Then serve and enjoy.

Notes

  • When reheating leftovers, add water to adjust broth thickness due to pasta absorbing liquid.
  • Acini de pepe is the traditional small pasta, but can be swapped with orzo, pastina, stellini, or ditalini.
  • In a pinch, finely chopped spaghetti can substitute for small pasta shapes.

Nutrition Information

Calories 301kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 17g (34%) Fat 20g (31%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 9g (45%) Trans Fat 0.4g (20%) Cholesterol 67mg (22%) Sodium 618mg (26%) Potassium 453mg (10%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 2275IU (46%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 91mg (9%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 301

% Daily Value*

Calories 301kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 17g 34%
Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 9g 45%
Trans Fat 0.4g 20%
Cholesterol 67mg 22%
Sodium 618mg 26%
Potassium 453mg 10%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 2275IU 46%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 91mg 9%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.