Italian Wedding Soup
A classic Italian wedding soup recipe, with little bits of pasta, shredded chicken, spinach and of course those little meatballs!
This wedding soup recipe is the very first one that I ever posted here on my little corner of the Internet. I grew up eating it at countless restaurants, at home and, of course, at weddings. My mom would make it occasionally, but it wasn’t until two summers ago that I fell in love with it again. I’m usually not one to devour soup during the summer months, but I was going through the first trimester of my pregnancy, and spent many days not very interested in food at all. Every Sunday, my mom would deliver me a fresh pot of homemade wedding soup, and I ate it for nearly every meal throughout the week (with oyster crackers – a must!). It absolutely hit the spot.
A few weeks ago, we were celebrating my father-in-law’s birthday so I asked him what he would like for dinner. Along with meatballs and rigatoni, he requested wedding soup. I hadn’t made it myself in years, so I was excited to have the opportunity to refresh my memory and do this fabulous recipe justice with new photos :)
While the most basic wedding soups include some type of meat, a green vegetable, pasta and clear broth, I’ve always loved how wonderfully hearty my mom’s recipe is.
Not only does she do the standard miniature meatballs, but she adds shredded chicken as well. I think it gives the soup so much more oomph and definitely makes it feel like more of a meal than just a bowl of soup.
When I’m not feeling well, it’s this wedding soup, and not your typical chicken noodle soup, that soothes my soul and makes me feel better.
Between the meatballs, chicken, little bits of pasta, carrots, celery and spinach, it’s extremely healthy, too!
Watch How to Make Italian Wedding Soup:
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More Hearty Comfort Foods and Soups:
- Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
- Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- Homemade Chicken and Dumplings
If you make this wedding soup recipe and love it, remember to stop back and give it a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound (453.59 g) ground beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 egg whites
For the Chicken:
- 1 pound (453.59 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the Soup:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced small
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 12 cups (2820 ml) chicken broth
- Salt & pepper to taste
- ¾ cup (127.5 g) acini di pepi or other small pasta
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) fresh spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and shape into small (½-inch) balls. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, place the chicken breasts in a large stockpot and fill with water until it is covering the chicken by at least one inch. Bring to a boil and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and use tongs to remove the chicken to a large plate. Shred the chicken and set aside. Empty water from stockpot.
- Melt butter in the now-empty stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Gently add the meatballs to the soup and cook for 7 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Add spinach and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the shredded chicken. Cover again and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes or so. You can eat as soon as the chicken is re-heated, but allowing it to simmer for a little longer allows all the new flavors to meld together.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on February 11, 2007.
This soup was so good! I’ve never had Italian wedding soup before, so I don’t really have a basis of comparison, but this soup tasted amazing!
Picture of mine: http://i64.tinypic.com/21ec2dk.jpg
I omitted the chicken (out of laziness, honestly) and the celery.
Thanks so much for the review, Michelle, and for sharing the photo. Your soup looks fantastic!
looks good
I bought pre-cooked mini meatballs. Would those work in this recipe? If so can you recommend a cooking time? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Sharronda, Absolutely! I would just add them at the same time the recipe calls for adding the meatballs and they should be heated through.
I’m a bit confused about when to add the pasta. The recipe indicates to add the pasta, cook for 6 minutes then spinach, cook 3 minutes then add the chicken. Then it says to simmer for 30 minutes with all ingredients. Wouldn’t simmering the pasta for an additional 30 minutes (39 total) make the pasta overdone and mushy? Would it be better to add the pasta after simmering to blend the flavors?
Hi Heather, No, the pasta that’s used is very small and hard to overcook.
O.M.G. Is this gooood! I didn’t add the chicken (didn’t have any), but YUM!! Thanks, can’t wait to make this for guests! :)
I made this soup today for the first time and it was simply wonderful!!! So comforting on a very cold brrrr New England winter Day! Thank you!!!
Do you cook the pasta first?
Nope, it cooks quickly in with the soup!
Amazing! I always try out wedding soup recipes and end up disappointed. I always compare them to a delicious wedding soup we got from a small restarurant in Oakmont (I grew up in Pittsburgh, live in the desert now). My husband requested this go on rotation in our household!
I made this for dinner last night, it was DELICIOUS! So happy we have some left over in the freezer to enjoy over the next few weeks. Will definitely be adding this into the meal rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this today and it was wonderful. A little time consuming to make since you have to make the meatballs and poach the chicken, but totally worth it. I’ll definitely make this one again. Thanks for another great recipe!
I have this on the stove right now! I had ground turkey thawed so I made the meatballs out of that and I just wanted to leave a tip for anyone else using it! It’s a lot smushier than ground beef so I would highly recommend browning the meatballs first. It was a chore rolling them into balls (damp finger tips helps a lot!). I wish I had the patience to have them as small as they are above! Maybe next time haha. BUT having them in the fridge an hour or more firmed them up beautifully. Next time I use turkey I may even make them the night before. I have the chicken and the meatballs in the soup now simmering away and it can stay that way for quite some time just building flavor. And the spinach and pasta can be added before you’re ready to eat. I can’t wait to try this, it looks exactly like the wedding soup my mom makes. From one Pittsburgh girl to another, I love your blog!
I’ve made this soup twice now, and I have to say that it was fabulous both times. The only things I did different from what the recipe calls for, is to use 2 tsp. Italian seasoning in place of the basil and parsley, and I doubled up on everything with the exception of the broth. My family all likes their soups more “hearty” than “soupy”. When served, I topped with grated parmesan and served with a side of fresh bread.
Do you have the nutritional information for this?
Hi Jamie, I do not.
I’m making this recipe for the second time. Loved it the first time and now I’m making it for friends! A hearty soup that’s perfect for a chilly evening. Will serve with garlic bread & salad! Thanks for your wonderful recipes – I really enjoy your blog?
I made this two nights ago and OH MY GOODNESS! AHHHmazing! Thank you so much for this recipe! And thank you so much for sharing it multiple times because I admit, that is what grabbed my attention and made me realize that I really HAD to try this soup. The only problem I ran into was the prep time…those little meatballs took me forever to roll out so my prep time was more like an hour and a half vs the 30 minutes stated in the recipe. And I wasn’t going slow. And I had help from my 10-yr old daughter. So I would advise anyone that makes this to allot a little more prep time. However, with that said, it was TOTALLY worth it! This is now my new favorite soup recipe. It was devoured by everyone in my house and has already been requested again so I will be rolling out some baby meatballs today…this time with the whole family’s help ;-)
This was stunning, although I must admit I cheated with both the chicken and the meatballs! Being time poor as always, I substituted the poached chicken for the shredded breast from a roasted supermarket chicken and since I always keep a batch of homemade pork, veal and ricotta meatballs in the freezer, I thawed a dozen of those and made 4 tiny meatballs out of each regular sized one instead of following the recipe. I used frozen homemade chicken stock (broth) and Risoni pasta and the entire thing was simmering in no time. It was beautiful last night and even better today. My son usually hates soup with ‘lumps’ but he gobbled this up!
I’m making this for dinner tomorrow night. It looks amazing! Do you think pastina would be too small of a pasta to use in this? Also, what’s the significance of only using egg whites in the meatballs? I’ve done it with the whole egg, but not just egg white.
I’m so excited to make this! Thanks!
Hi Kaycee, I think it’s just to keep them on the lean/firm side.
I used pastina and made this last night, turned out great!
I’m thinking about making this for dinner! Looks wonderful. I just wanted to double check, there is no need to pre-cook the meatballs? They are cooked right in the soup broth?
Thank you!
Yes, correct, no need to pre-cook the meatballs. Enjoy!
Hello Michelle, please tell me how many calories in this recipe?
I have no clue, I don’t calculate the calories for recipes.
This Italian Wedding Soup is the best recipe I have made. So tasty and full of veggies. Everyone at my house really enjoyed it. Am making some more as I write this….. yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
12 cups of broth seems like a lot. I just wanted to confirm that was correct!
Hi Jennifer, Yes! This makes a big pot of soup :)
WOW!!! This turned out so good! I think this is now my favorite soup recipe. Everyone that’s had it has raved. Thanks so much for sharing. I love your site. Thank you!!
I made this today. As with all your recipes, it was a big hit. I kept putting off making it, because it seemed like a big project. However, I prepared the meatballs and chicken yesterday. Putting the soup together today was a snap. Thank you for another terrific recipe.
This looks fantastic!!
Just made this tonight — fabulous!! I’ve been buying Italian Wedding Soup at a local Italian deli, won’t be doing that again. Another amazing recipe to add to my collection.
Awesome to hear!!
Okay, I made this over the weekend…no question, this is the best soup that has ever come out of my kitchen. My husband, the ‘occasional’ soup eater, had three bowls!! I can’t believe it’s so simple to make! What have I been waiting for?!?! I make all kinds of complicated stuff, and it doesn’t taste nearly as great as this recipe. Only changes…used Kale instead of spinach…cause that’s what I had…and oven roasted chicken breasts on the bone instead of poaching them. I think it gives them a better taste. I then used the bones (after pulling the meat off of them) to flavor the stock. Meatballs, chicken, vegies…FABULOUS recipe, BEB!!! Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this! xo
Can you use quinoa instead of the pasta? This looks and sounds so so good.
Hi Alicia, I’ve never tried it, let me know how you like it!
its look very delicious and healthy. Thank you for sharing.
I made this soup last week during the blizzard. It was delicious!
Michelle,
This soup is on my bucket list. I love family recipes and can’t wait to try this one. Pinned.
Annamaria