Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
This easy Italian wedding soup recipe uses fully cooked frozen meatballs, small pasta, and fresh spinach for a simple, comforting dinner. The pasta cooks right in the broth, and there’s no need to thaw or brown the meatballs first.
Table of Contents
Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Soup is a weekly staple in our house no matter the season. In the colder months, I gravitate toward heartier soups, such as homemade chicken noodle soup that simmer low and slow, while in the warmer months, it’s all about light, brothy soups with fresh flavor.
This easy Italian wedding soup falls perfectly in between. It’s cozy and satisfying but still light enough to enjoy year-round.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the best soups start with simple, quality ingredients and a good balance of flavor. This one uses mostly pantry staples and comes together in about 30 minutes, making it our go-to recipe when dinner needs to be on the table fast.
Italian Wedding Soup with Frozen Meatballs
Fully cooked frozen meatballs make this soup especially easy. Add them straight from the freezer with no thawing, shaping, or browning needed.
I tested this recipe with fully cooked frozen meatballs about 1 inch in size. They heated through in about 5 minutes, after the pasta had already simmered for 5 minutes. Check your package directions, since larger meatballs and different brands may need longer.
What is Italian Wedding Soup?
Italian Wedding Soup isn’t actually served at weddings, the name comes from the Italian phrase minestra maritata, meaning “married soup,” which refers to the perfect marriage of flavors between the meat and greens.
Our version stays true to that cozy, classic combo with tender meatballs, fresh spinach, and tiny pasta simmered in a flavorful chicken broth. It’s simple, comforting, and perfect for any night you’re craving something hearty and wholesome.
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe Ingredients
See recipe card for full ingredient list.
- Mirepoix: Chopped onion, celery, and carrots. Use a precut mix if you want to save on prep.
- Chicken broth: Use homemade or a store-bought broth you actually enjoy since this is the base of the soup.
- Pasta: I use ditalini. Other small shapes work, but cooking times vary, so check for doneness as the soup simmers.
- Meatballs: Use fully cooked frozen meatballs, about 1 inch in size. Mine heated through in about 5 minutes without thawing.
The Best Pasta for Italian Wedding Soup
Traditionally, acini di pepe pasta is used, which looks like little pearls. I like using ditalini pasta or orzo pasta as it’s something I always have on hand.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
See recipe card for detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Cook the veggies – Heat olive oil in a large dutch-oven and cook the mirepoix with a pinch of salt over medium heat until the onions are soft. Stir in garlic.
Step 2: Add the liquids and pasta – Add the chicken broth and water. Use good quality broth as it will make a big difference in the taste of the soup. Don’t forget to season the broth with salt. When the broth is simmering, add pasta and cook for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the meatballs – Drop meatballs one by one to the simmering pot of soup and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes. Cook time will depend on the size of the meatballs. I used 1-inch frozen cooked meatballs, which took exactly 5 minutes.
Step 4: Finish with spinach and parsley – In the last minute or so of cooking, add spinach and stir until wilted. Then stir in the chopped parsley.
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe Variations
- Different greens. Swap spinach for kale for a slightly different flavor and texture.
- Pasta options. Try orzo, acini di pepe, or even small shells. Any tiny pasta will work.
- Finish with flavor. Add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving for a bright, savory touch.
Tips for Making the Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
- Watch the pasta timing: Give the pasta a 5-minute head start before adding the fully cooked frozen meatballs. In my test, the meatballs heated through in another 5 minutes, and the pasta was perfectly tender.
- If you plan on having leftovers, cook the pasta separately. Then, add it to your soup just before serving. This prevents it from absorbing too much broth and becoming mushy.
- Adjust the cooking time as needed depending on the size and type of meatball you use.
- Garnish with fresh herbs right before serving for an extra punch of color and flavor.
What to Serve with Italian Wedding Soup
Best way to serve homemade Italian wedding soup is with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. But if you want to make it more of a meal, here are some great sides to pair with the soup:
How to Store Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The pasta will absorb broth as it sits, so add a splash of broth when reheating.
If you’re making the soup ahead, cook and store the pasta separately, then add it when serving. I don’t recommend freezing the finished soup with the pasta as its texture can soften after thawing.
More Soup Recipes
If you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐️ STAR rating and COMMENT letting us know how you liked the recipe.
Easy Italian Wedding Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Easy Italian Wedding Soup recipe with frozen meatballs and simple pantry ingredients that comes together in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups mirepoix (chopped onions, celery, carrots)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth (good quality/tasting broth, recommend homemade)
- 2 cups water (or feel free to use more broth)
- 3/4 cups dry ditalini pasta
- 12 oz. fully cooked frozen meatballs, about 1 inch in size
- 6–7 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cups fresh chopped parsley, plus extra for serving
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch-oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and when hot, add the mirepoix with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions are soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken broth and water, and bring to a boil. Season the broth with salt and pepper, to taste. Add pasta. Simmer for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally so the pasta does not stick together. You want the pasta partially cooked before adding the meatballs.
- Add the fully cooked frozen meatballs and continue simmering for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated through and the pasta is tender. Follow the meatball package’s heating instructions, adjusting the timing as needed.
- Last minute of cooking, stir in spinach. Taste the soup for salt. Turn off heat and stir in fresh parsley.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and more parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Meatballs: I tested this recipe with fully cooked frozen meatballs about 1 inch in size. They took about 5 minutes to heat through after adding them to the simmering soup. The timing here is for fully cooked meatballs; raw meatballs require a different cooking time. If your meatballs need longer, cook the pasta separately so it doesn’t overcook.
- Leftovers: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Pasta will absorb broth as it sits, so add a splash of broth when reheating. If you’re making the soup ahead, cook and store the pasta separately, then add it when serving. I don’t recommend freezing the finished soup with the pasta because its texture can soften after thawing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 396
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 916.6 mg
- Fat: 21.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.5 g
- Protein: 19.7 g
- Cholesterol: 47.6 mg
More Favorites from Little Broken
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
This recipe is very delicious! Insulated substituted the pasta with rice. It turned out perfectly.
Easy and delicious! I used leftover rice instead of pasta and it turned out great.
This was delicious, thank you so much. I added a little Italian seasoning. I’ll be making this again and again.
It’s the best and easiest soup to make ..
I really enjoy Italian wedding soup… it’s a hearty soup …
I have made this soup several times..
Easy and delicious!
Why do you not recommend freezing this soup? The pasta? Great recipe! I cook my pasta on the side so it doesn’t get mushy.
Hi Erica: Yes, exactly! The pasta is the main reason. It tends to soak up liquid and turn mushy once frozen. Cooking it separately like you do is the perfect solution!
Ever since I found this recipe, I’ve made it several times! It’s delicious and more importantly, at this time in our lives, nutritious and easy to make. My boyfriend has cancer and it’s hard to find meals that are healthy and easy for him to eat, this recipe is both.
Thank you very much for sharing.
i made this last winter and it was a big hit! the
thank you!!
I made this recipe tonight, and I LOVE it! I know it’s annoying when people post their reaction to a recipe in which they include all of the ways they detoured from the recipe. 🙂 But I made some minor adjustments that I don’t think alter the intention or flavor of the recipe, and it worked beautifully. (1) I made this plant-based by using Better than Bouillon vegetarian no chicken broth and Beyond meatballs. The meatballs were perfectly cooked after 10 minutes of simmering in the broth. And (2) because I didn’t want mushy pasta in the soup leftovers, I cooked the pasta separately in some of the broth. I reserved the broth when I drained the pasta to include in the soup. When I eat the leftovers, I’ll add some of the pasta before reheating.
Otherwise I made this exactly like the recipe, and I can tell you, this is a great recipe! It is DELICIOUS! And my home smells so amazing after making it. It also comes together very quickly and easily, especially if you by precut mirepoix, as I often do for making pots of soup midweek. Yum! This is definitely going on repeat rotation!
Thank you Amy! I so appreciate your feedback and glad you enjoyed the recipe.