Name: Italian Wedding Soup
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 8 cups chicken broth; 1/2 cup small pasta (acini di pepe or orzo); 1/2 pound ground beef; 1/2 pound ground pork; 1/3 cup breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 large egg; 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped; 2 medium carrots, diced; Salt and black pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons olive oil

Okay, so Italian Wedding Soup. Let me tell you, the first time I made this, I had no clue what I was doing and somehow ended up with a pot that could feed an actual wedding, not just a family of four. My grandma used to make it on cold Sundays (she swore you could smell it two blocks away), and everyone always fought over the last meatball. Honestly, I keep making it because it’s forgiving enough that even when I mess up, everyone’s still happy—and my house smells magical for hours. Also, I may have spilled half a box of pasta in once and you know what? Still delicious. That’s the beauty of this soup—hard to ruin, easy to love.

Why This Soup Gets So Much Love At My Place

I make this when we’ve got a bunch of random veggies sitting around and everyone wants something “fancy” (which is code for anything homemade and not out of a freezer bag). My kids go nuts for those mini meatballs—it’s like a treat! Plus, if you make enough, you have lunch the next day (actually, I think it tastes better after a night in the fridge). And don’t even get me started on the grated cheese on top; it’s basically an edible blanket. Occasionally I’ve run low on patience and forgotten to season the meatballs enough—never skip that step, it’s not worth it.

What You’ll Need—Or What I Use When I Raided the Fridge

For the Meatballs:
- 1/2 lb ground beef (or pork, or frankly, turkey if that’s all you’ve got—I’ve totally swapped it in and nobody noticed)
- 1/4 cup fine breadcrumbs (panko is fine; my Nonna would’ve screamed but it works!)
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (Pecorino Romano is even better, but use what’s in the fridge)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Salt & pepper, a healthy shake of both
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced (honestly, garlic powder works in a pinch)
- Chopped parsley, like a small handful
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced (red onion works too; once I even used a shallot—it’s fine, but a little posh)
- 2 carrots, sliced thin or however you like
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth (boxed works, homemade if you’re feeling ambitious—truth be told, I usually use the store stuff!)
- 1 cup small pasta (like acini di pepe or orzo; once used tiny shells, and it was cute)
- 4 oz baby spinach, torn up (some folks use escarole, but my local shop never has it—I improvise with kale or even chard… maybe not lettuce though, that flopped!)
- Extra Parmesan or Romano, for serving

How I Throw This Soup Together (Step-By-Step…ish)

Mix the Meatballs: Get a big ol’ bowl and just chuck in all the meatball ingredients. Use your hands—seriously, you don’t get the same squish with a spoon. Form tiny meatballs, like marble-sized. (Don’t sweat if they look wonky, they even out in the soup. I once made them more like cubes—no one remembers but me.)
Sauté the Veggies: Splash the olive oil in your soup pot. Toss in onion, carrot, and celery; medium heat, just until they’re soft. Sometimes the onions take their sweet time. Stir now and then so nothing catches. This is usually when someone asks what’s for dinner, because the kitchen smells awesome already!
Add Broth & Simmer: Pour in the chicken broth; crank the heat until it’s bubbling a bit, then drop to low so it’s gently simmering. Add a pinch of salt. Actually, hold off on too much salt until the end—learned that from oversalting once. Oops.
Drop in the Meatballs: Carefully, so you don’t splash. If you’re like me and prone to chaos, use a spoon. Let them cook gently for about 10 minutes. (This is where I sneak a taste—maybe don’t if you don’t trust your meatball rolling.)
Pasta Time: Stir in the pasta and give it about 7-8 minutes (it’ll cook more in the hot broth, so don’t overdo it now; mushy pasta is nobody’s friend).
Spinach In: Throw in the baby spinach or whatever greens you wrangled. It’ll look excessive at first but shrinks quick—like magic. Stir, then cook for another minute or two.
Season and Serve: Taste the broth. Needs more salt? Pepper? A little squeeze of lemon juice sometimes brightens the whole lot if it feels “meh”. Serve up hot, with way more grated cheese than you’d admit to your dietician.

Some Notes So You Don’t Learn the Hard Way!

Don’t use giant pasta. Couscous or tiny stars are lovely, but big shapes soak up all the broth by day two. (I found that out the hard way.)
If you freeze this, the pasta will get a bit mushy—still delicious but a bit gloopy. Actually, I tend to freeze the soup without pasta, then add some fresh when I reheat.
If you forget the parsley in the meatballs, just throw some in the soup after—it’s not a deal-breaker. Tastes fresh either way.

Variations I’ve Tried (The Good, The Bad, The “Eh”)

Turkey meatballs—way lighter, but honestly, not as juicy. Still, not bad for a summery vibe.
Orzo instead of acini di pepe—a bit more toothsome, kids liked it!
Adding shredded chicken (from leftovers)—actually makes it super hearty; do it if you’ve got some extra cooked meat to use up.
Romaine in place of spinach—not recommended. Gets limp and watery. Wouldn’t repeat.

The Gear You May Or May Not Use

Decent soup pot is handy, but honestly, I’ve used a frying pan in a pinch (don’t tell my old flatmate—she was precious about the right cookware). For rolling meatballs, I use my hands…but if you hate getting messy, two spoons do the trick. That’s that.

Leftovers & Storing (Assuming You Have Leftovers…)

Zip it into containers and stow in the fridge—good for about 3 days, probably longer, but it never survives that long here. Will thicken overnight as the pasta soaks everything up. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating. You can freeze it, but, as I said, the pasta goes a bit smushy (I still eat it, though—waste not, want not).

How I Like To Serve It (And Maybe You Will Too)

Big bowls, extra Parmesan, maybe a squeeze of lemon if I’m feeling posh. Sometimes we make a lazy garlic bread (just olive oil and garlic rubbed on toast). My kids float crackers in it, which is mildly sacrilegious but actually pretty good. On cold nights, pair it with your comfiest socks and a daft film on telly—trust me.

Heads Up: Stuff I’ve Learned The Hard Way (Pro Tips)

Don’t rush the meatball shaping—even if you’re hungry. If they’re too big, they take ages to cook and kinda break up. That was a disaster last winter.
Resist the urge to dump all the spinach in at once, unless you like green soup more than soup with greens. Actually, sprinkling over time is better.
Taste-broth before adding more seasoning—once overdid the salt and we ended up drinking about four jugs of water after dinner!

FAQ: Real Questions Form Friends (and Myself)

Can I make this ahead? Oh, for sure. In fact, it probably tastes better after a day in the fridge—let all those flavors get cozy. Just maybe leave the pasta out until you reheat. Or not, if you like things a bit softer.
Do I have to use homemade stock? Nope—boxed works fine. (Honestly, that’s what I mostly use, and nobody’s complained yet!)
How small should the meatballs be? I make ‘em about marble sized, but if you go a bit bigger, just cook ‘em a touch longer. I once made massive ones and they looked weird, not gonna lie.
What if I don’t have acini di pepe? Go wild—try orzo, pastina, or even alphabet pasta. My sister used broken spaghetti once and it worked (sorta). It’s all still soup in the end, right?
Can I skip the cheese? You could, but… why would you?! Unless you really have to—try nutritional yeast if you’re dairy free; not quite the same, but it’s got a decent vibe.
Help! My soup’s too thick next day! Totally normal. Add water or broth, reheat, stir, done. I think that’s how everyone does it, honestly.

So there you are—Italian Wedding Soup, my way. Actually, it changes almost every time I make it, but that’s sort of the point, yeah? Hope you love it as much as we do. And if you find a new twist, let me know—especially if it involves cheese. Happy cooking!

Italian Wedding Soup