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Italian Wedding Soup

Italian wedding soup with tender meatballs, tiny pasta, and wilted spinach simmered in a golden parmesan-flecked broth. Made with a gently boiling simmer so the meatballs stay tender and the pasta turns silky without getting mushy.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Meatballs
  • 0.5 lb ground beef
  • 0.5 lb ground pork
  • 0.5 cup breadcrumbs
  • 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
Soup
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
  • 8 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup small pasta (acini di pepe or ditalini)
  • 4 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • 0.25 tsp salt and black pepper, to taste
Toppings
  • 0.25 cup Extra grated Parmesan cheese
  • 0.25 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper
  • 2 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the meatballs
  1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix gently until just combined.
  2. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Place them on a plate as you work.
Build the soup base
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook 5–6 minutes, until softened.
  2. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Keep heat at medium so the garlic doesn’t brown.
  3. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Watch for steady small bubbles, not a hard boil.
Simmer, then finish
  1. Carefully drop the meatballs into the simmering broth. Cook 8–10 minutes until cooked through and floating.
  2. Add the pasta and simmer 8–10 minutes, until tender. Stir occasionally so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom.
  3. Stir in spinach and cook 1–2 minutes, just until wilted and bright green. Turn off the heat as soon as the color pops.
  4. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with extra Parmesan, cracked pepper, and parsley, then serve hot.

Notes

For best texture, keep the soup at a gentle simmer once the broth is boiling—hard bubbling can break meatballs. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; rewarm gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth if needed. Freezing is not recommended because the pasta can soften after thawing. For a lighter version, use ground turkey in place of the beef and pork and consider using reduced-fat Parmesan.