Italian Wedding Soup: 1 Cozy Pot of Tiny Meatballs and Greens, Plus the Trick That Keeps Them Whole

Italian wedding soup is the bowl a lot of us grew up ordering at the diner: a clear golden broth, dozens of tiny meatballs, little pearls of pasta and soft ribbons of greens. It is cozy without being heavy, it feeds a crowd, and it tastes even better the next day. This week it is having a real moment again, and once you make it at home you will see why..

Searches for this soup jumped over the past weekend, according to Google Trends, and searches for Ina Garten’s version shot up by more than 3,000 percent. On NYT Cooking, an Italian wedding soup recipe sits on the Most Popular This Week list with more than 6,000 ratings. Even Gordon Ramsay has weighed in: a Kitchen Nightmares clip of him tasting a restaurant’s wedding soup has been watched close to 9 million times on YouTube.

Here is our easy, from scratch version for one big pot. It has one simple trick that keeps the meatballs from falling apart, plus a slow cooker option, freezer tips and the swaps that make it work for your family.

What Italian Wedding Soup Really Means

Here is the fun part: Italian wedding soup has nothing to do with weddings. In southern Italy it is called minestra maritata, which means “married soup.” The name is about the marriage of meat and green vegetables in one pot, not a dish served at the reception. The old Neapolitan version is a rich, slow cooked soup of greens and several kinds of meat, and food writer Arthur Schwartz has called it “the king of Neapolitan soups,” as noted in this history of the dish.

The version most Americans know came later. Italian American cooks and diners made it lighter and quicker, with mini meatballs, small pasta and greens in chicken broth. That is the one we are making today. Did you grow up calling it wedding soup too? Want more cozy bowls for cold nights? Our high protein soup ideas are full of easy dinners.

Ingredients for the Meatballs and the Broth

This makes about 6 big bowls. The meatballs are small, about the size of a marble or a little bigger, so you get several in every spoonful.

For the mini meatballs:

• 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 lb ground pork (or 1 lb ground chicken or turkey)
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper

For the soup:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, diced small
• 2 celery ribs, diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Parmesan rind (optional, but worth it)
• 3/4 cup acini di pepe, or orzo or ditalini
• 1 small head escarole, chopped (about 6 cups), or 5 oz baby spinach
• Salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon and more Parmesan to serve

How to Make Italian Wedding Soup, Step by Step

1. Mix the meatballs. Stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl and let them sit 2 minutes. Add the meat, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Overmixing makes them tough.
2. Roll them small. Scoop level teaspoons and roll into 3/4 inch balls. Wet hands help. You will get about 45 to 50.
3. Bake, do not fry. This is the trick. Set them on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 400 F for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Baking sets the outside so they hold their shape in the broth, and there is no messy frying. Ground beef and pork should reach 160 F inside, and chicken or turkey 165 F.
4. Build the broth. While they bake, warm the olive oil in a large pot. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute.
5. Simmer. Pour in the broth, drop in the Parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Cook the pasta. Add the acini di pepe and cook until just tender, about 8 to 9 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not stick.
7. Add meatballs and greens. Slide in the baked meatballs and the escarole. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the greens are soft (spinach needs only 1 minute).
8. Finish. Fish out the rind, season with salt, pepper and a little lemon, and serve with extra Parmesan and crusty bread.

Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

Want dinner waiting when you walk in? Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, broth and Parmesan rind to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Bake the meatballs ahead (or use ones from the freezer), then add them for the last 45 minutes to 1 hour so they heat all the way through. Stir in the greens for the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook the pasta in a separate pot and add it to each bowl. Pasta left sitting in a slow cooker turns soft and drinks up the broth.

Make-Ahead, Freezer Tips and Easy Swaps

• Freeze the meatballs. Bake them, cool them, then freeze on the sheet pan before bagging. They keep about 3 months and go straight into simmering broth.
• Freeze the soup without pasta. Broth, vegetables and meatballs freeze well for up to 3 months. Cook fresh pasta when you reheat.
• Leftovers. Keep the soup in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The pasta keeps soaking up broth, so add a splash of broth or water when you warm it.
• Lighter meatballs. Ground chicken or turkey works well. Add an extra tablespoon of Parmesan for flavor.
• Gluten free. Use gluten free breadcrumbs and a small gluten free pasta, or skip the pasta and add white beans.
• Other greens. Kale or Swiss chard both work. Give kale a few extra minutes.

Italian Wedding Soup FAQ

Why did my pasta soak up all the broth? Small pasta keeps drinking liquid as it sits. If you plan to have leftovers, cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl.

How do I keep the meatballs tender? Soak the breadcrumbs in milk first, mix gently, and do not overbake. Small meatballs cook fast.

Escarole or spinach? Escarole is the classic choice. It is a little bitter and holds up in hot broth. Spinach is milder, easier to find and kid friendly.

What goes with Italian wedding soup? Crusty bread or garlic bread, a simple green salad, and plenty of grated Parmesan at the table.

So, team escarole or team spinach? Make a pot this week and let the house smell like Sunday dinner. If you are planning ahead for the holidays, our slow cooker Christmas recipes keep the stove free too.