Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Make this cozy & comforting bowl of Italian Wedding Soup that is perfect with shaved parmesan cheese and crusty bread!
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter sub ghee, plant-based butter or olive oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 medium carrots sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounces canned cannellini beans drained
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 easy herb bundle
- 1-2 handfuls fresh kale or spinach
- 3/4-1 cup acini de pepe
Toppings:
- homemade basil pesto or store-bought
- parmesan cheese grated or shaved
- sourdough bread with butter
Instructions
- Form Meatballs: Combine Meatball ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Take approx. 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of the mixture (depending upon how small or big you want them) and form into meatballs.
- Sear Meatballs: Bring a large Dutch Oven (5.5qt) to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; swirl to coat the pan. Sear meatballs (in batches) on all sides until they are nice and browned. Remove from Dutch Oven (they won't be fully cooked, that's okay we don't want them to be yet) and place on a plate; set aside.
- Deglaze Pan and Make Soup: Add a splash of the chicken broth (the rest will be used later) and use a spatula to scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 tablespoons butter and let melt. Add 2 teaspoons garlic and move around the pan until it becomes fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken broth, 15 ounces canned cannellini beans, 1 tablespoon white wine, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 easy herb bundle, 1-2 handfuls fresh kale or spinach and the meatballs (along with any juices that have settled on the plate).
- Simmer: Cover and let simmer approx. 10-15 minutes or until veggies are firm but tender and meatballs are cooked through.
- Acini de Pepe: Meanwhile, cook 3/4-1 cup acini de pepe per package instructions or we can show you how to cook acini de pepe (see Notes).
- Serving: place some cooked acini de pepe in a soup bowl. Ladle the soup over top. Add a few dollops of basil pesto along with a generous amount of grated or shaved parmesan cheese. Serve with sliced sourdough bread and butter!
Notes
- Option to Bake Meatballs: for best results I recommend searing the meatballs because it adds more flavor to the soup, but baking can simplify things! To bake the meatballs: place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until they are fully cooked (this will depend on their size - it could take up to 25 minutes, if they are bigger).
- Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup: Follow Steps 1 & 2 as written. Continue with Step 3, but after the vegetables have sautéed everything can be put in the slow cooker. Cover and let cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours or LOW for 4-6 hours. Give it a mix, turn it up to HIGH and add the pasta to cook for 20 minutes before serving.
- Ground Meat: feel free to use a mild Italian sausage, ground turkey, or even ground chicken. Use what you have or what you like!
- Acini de Pepe: I recommend cooking the acini de pepe separately, because this soup makes a lot and you are likely to have leftovers. If the pasta is cooked in the soup it will continue to soak up the broth as it sits - so leftovers may become mushy and not much broth will remain. If you want to cook the pasta in the soup you can, add it in Step 3 when you put the meatballs back in - and maybe add an extra cup of chicken broth.
- Acini de pepe substitute: if you can't find acini de pepe you could sub orzo in a pinch - again I would recommend cooking it separate.
- Toppings: you HAVE to try the pesto on top (just grab store bought pesto to make things easy) and lots and lots of parmesan cheese - and then this soup is made for dipping buttered bread in it!
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2762IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2mg
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