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italian wedding soup
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Italian Wedding Soup

A satisfying marriage of meatballs, leafy greens and pasta in a bowl.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: italian wedding soup, minestra maritata
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Meatballs

  • 1 slice plain sandwich bread
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • ½ lb lean ground pork
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ onion, grated or finely diced
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large handful fresh chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper

Soup

  • ½ onion, finely diced
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • ¾ cup acini di pepe pasta
  • 4 cups chopped fresh spinach or other leafy greens
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Tear bread into pieces and soak in milk. Press to ensure bread is well saturated. Drain any excess milk.
  • Add remainder of meatball ingredients to food processor and pulse to combine well.
  • Roll into small meatballs. Refrigerate.
  • Finely dice remainder of onion and sauté gently in olive oil until softened. Add chicken broth and bring to simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Bring large pot of water to a simmer. Drop meatballs into pot and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Depending on size of pot, you may need to blanch meatballs in batches. Remove with mesh ladle and add to soup broth.
  • Simmer meatballs in soup for 5 minutes.
  • Add pasta and simmer for 5 more minutes. Adjust time if using larger pasta.
  • Chop spinach and add to soup along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Taste again and season if desired with more salt and pepper.
  • Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh cracked black pepper if desired.