Italian Meatball Soup is a beautiful marriage of beef and pork meatballs, savory bitter greens, pastina, and chopped vegetables in a delicious clear broth. This Wedding Soup is a warm and hearty meal that is sure to please.
I’ve been making this Italian Meatball soup for a very long time. It was one of the most popular items at my sandwich shop, so I have probably made hundreds of gallons. The ingredients are so simple, but they combine into the most beautifully flavorful bowl of soup.
My favorite part is the tiny meatballs floating around in the broth. The broth itself is beautiful, but every bite with a meatball is like a blast of extra YUM!
If you are feeling like Italian, you will love my Basil Pesto Sauce and Classic Shrimp Scampi.
Make this Recipe, because…
It is a quintessential Italian soup.
The flavor is so unique, but it is made from the most humble ingredients. Slowly simmered meatballs and escarole add beautiful depth to a very basic broth.
With loads of veggies, tender meatballs, and pastina, it is a complete meal.
Ingredients
Escarole- Escarole is traditionally used in Wedding Soup. It is not always consistently carried in my grocery store. I often use curly endive, but you can also mix some chard and spinach for a nice flavor.
Acini di Pepe- This is very small round pasta that works especially well in soups because it does not absorb all the liquid. You can substitute other small pasta like stelline (stars) or pastina.
Instructions
Step 1
- Meatball soup starts with the soffritto. Dice celery, carrot, and onion and sauté in olive oil.
- Add minced garlic, bouillon cubes, and dry spices once the onion has softened. Warm the spices through, and then add 16 cups of water to the soup pot.
Step 2
- Once the water comes to a simmer, add chopped escarole and slowly push the wilted greens down into the broth.
Step 3
- Next, mix one egg, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, granulated garlic, and granulated onion together with one pound of ground beef with ¼ pound of mild Italian sausage.
Step 4
- Scoop out teaspoon sized balls of meat. Form the meat balls by rolling small balls between your hands.
- Carefully, drop each meatball into the simmering broth as you form them.
- Let simmer uncovered for at least one hour.
Step 5
- About 10 minutes before serving, add one cup of Acini di Pepe or your favorite small pasta to the meatballs soup. Continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked. (Stir occasionally to keep pasta from settling on the bottom of the pot and burning.)
- Serve with a side of crusty bread well buttered.
Fun Fact! Many people think this classic meatballs soup is actually served at Italian Weddings. However, the reference to marriage is about the combination of three types of meat. First, you have a chicken based broth and then you add meatballs made from pork and beef. These flavors marry while cooking to create the signature flavor.
Escarole is a type of endive. It has broad flat leaves and looks very much like lettuce. Curly endive, frisee, and radicchio have similar flavor.
Soffritto is often called the Italian Holy Trinity. It is simply equal parts celery, onion, and carrot. This is the base for many Italian dishes.
It can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Be sure to reheat just what you intend to serve each day. Heat each portion to a minimum of 165°.
Expert Tips
Wet your hands when rolling the meatballs. A little water will prevent the meatballs from sticking to you.
Clean escarole and other greens by removing ends and submerging in a bowl of ice water. Dirt will fall away from the leaves and settle on the bottom of the bowl.
You can make this recipe a bit lighter by substituting beef and pork meatballs for turkey meatballs. I find that my turkey meatballs do not require an egg to stay together. I usually make this substitution when I’m trying to cut calories. It’s definitely not traditional, but I think it is delicious.
Try these Delicious Soups to warm up your winter's evenings.
Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles
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Italian Meatball Soup: Wedding Soup
Equipment
- 7 quart Soup Pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
Broth
- 16 Cups Water
- 1 Bundle Escarole chopped
- 2 Large Carrots diced
- 4 Stalks Celery diced
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion
- 2 Tablespoons Dry Parsley ¼ Cup Fresh
- ½ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flake
- 1 Teaspoon Dry Oregano
- 3 Cubes Chicken Bouillon
- 1 Cup Acini Di Pepe or any small pasta
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Meatball Mixture
- 1 Lb Ground Beef
- ¼ Lb Italian Sausage mild
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion
- 1 Tablespoon Dry Parsley
- 2 Teaspoons Oregano
Instructions
- Meatballs soup starts with the soffritto. Dice celery, carrot, and onion and sauté in olive oil.
- Add minced garlic, bouillon cubes, and dry spices once the onion has softened. Warm the spices through, and then add 16 cups of water to the pot.
- Once the water comes to a simmer, add chopped escarole and slowly push the wilted greens down into the broth.
- Next, mix one egg, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, granulated garlic, and granulated onion together with one pound of ground beef with ¼ pound of mild Italian sausage.
- Scoop out teaspoon sized balls of meat. Form the meat balls by rolling small balls between your hands.
- Carefully, drop each meatball into the simmering broth as you form them.
- Let simmer uncovered for at least one hour.
- About 10 minutes before serving, add one cup of Acini di Pepe or your favorite small pasta to the meatballs soup. Continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked. (Stir occasionally to keep pasta from settling on the bottom of the pot and burning.)
- Serve wedding soup with a side of crusty bread well buttered.
Notes
- Wet your hands when rolling the meatballs. A little water will prevent the meatballs from sticking to you.
- Clean escarole and other greens by removing ends and submerging in a bowl of ice water. Dirt will fall away from the leaves and settle on the bottom of the bowl.
- You can make this soup a bit lighter by substituting beef and pork meatballs for turkey meatballs. I find that my turkey meatballs do not require an egg to stay together. I usually make this substitution when I’m trying to cut calories. It’s definitely not traditional, but I think it is delicious.
Nutrition
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