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This Italian wedding soup is truly a marriage of flavours and made quicker using a clever shortcut! This soup chock full of delicious meatballs, vegetables and star shaped pasta will leave you spellbound.
Can’t get enough of meatballs? Take a look at my recipe for Baked Meatballs with Mozzarella and Arugula.
Italian Wedding Soup Story
I still remember the day I was introduced to this famous soup. I was on a date with my then boyfriend, now husband, at an Italian restaurant and he ordered it as a appetiser. It seems to be a pretty hefty for a starter but you don’t doubt the appetite of a 20 year old guy!
Years later we developed quite a connection with Italy through travel and work, and not once did I see this soup on a menu in real Italian restaurants. What is the deal with that? Is it Italian or not? I asked my Italian friend and she never heard of it either.
The reason for her confusion is that the name of this soup comes from a mistranslation and has nothing to do with weddings. The original name minestra maritata got mistranslated and simply means “marriage of flavours”. How very romantic!
Traditionally this soup was made with a variety of pork products and different vegetables all cooked separately, which produced different flavoured broths. When combined in one soup pot they created a beautiful union of flavours!
It has morphed over the years, changed from the original as has happened with many Italian American dishes, but is nonetheless delicious!
Ingredients
To qualify as an Italian Wedding Soup, it needs to have meatballs, small shaped pasta and greens like spinach, escarole or kale. Meatballs can take a lot of time, but I have a solution for that – read below for more!
I’ve also started with a soffrito base, which is what it is called when carrots, onion and celery are sautéed together with oil. As simple as it sounds, it’s one of the key ways that flavour is added in Italian cooking. It provides a base of savoury flavour that the rest of the dish can be built upon.
The most traditional pasta used in this soup is acini de pepe but any small pasta will do. I used star shaped stelline, which made my soup dreamy! Don’t you agree?
How to make it
The most time consuming part of this soup is undoubtedly meatballs. So I decided to use a shortcut in the form Italian flavoured sausage, chicken sausage to be exact.
- I removed the casing, cut sausages into bite-sized pieces and rolled them into meatballs! You can even skip the last step and simply use sausage pieces.
- The rest is incredibly fast and easy. I seared the meatballs for extra flavour. They also look so much more appealing in the soup when golden!
- Then dropped the vegetables in the pot and sautéed them. In went the chicken stock, pasta and spinach. You can use kale instead. Job done!
Adding flavour
First of all, the quality of your stock is the most important thing in the soup. So either make your own or buy the best quality you can afford.
Secondly, if you have a small Parmesan rind piece kicking around in your fridge, drop it in the broth in the beginning stage of cooking. You will be amazed at how much it will enhance the flavour of the soup!
Also adding a mix of fresh and dried herbs will elevate the flavours even further. For this soup I used fresh chopped parsley and dried basil and oregano with a touch of garlic.
Serving suggestions
I serve this soup with a bit of shaved or grated Parmesan cheese on top and black pepper. Some crusty bread or delicious rolls would complement it nicely.
Storage and leftovers
This soup will keep well for up to 5 days in a refrigerator. It will get thicker as pasta releases its starch, so don’t be afraid to add a splash of water or stock when reheating it.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, although freezing isn’t the best for pasta. When you are ready to eat, let it thaw completely and then reheat as above.
More favourite soup recipes
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 350g / 12oz italian sausages, casing removed, I used chicken sausage
- 1 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/2 onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning or dried basil and oregano combined
- 2 litres / 8 cups This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 50g /1/2 cup small pasta such as star pasta (stelline), acini de pepe or orzo
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 30g / 1cup fresh spinach, frozen can be used
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Remove casing from sausages and cut them into 1 inch pieces, then roll each piece into a meatball. Sear the meatballs in a large soup pot in 1 tbsp of olive oil on high heat for approximately 5 minutes until golden all around but not cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate. Discard the fat but 1 tbsp.
- To the same pot add chopped onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes over low heat, then add pressed garlic clove and Italian seasoning and cook for 30 seconds longer. Pour in the chicken stock, Parmesan cheese rind if using, return the meatballs back to the pot and bring the soup to a boil.
- Then add the pasta, stir and cook the pasta according to package directions for 5-7 minutes. Add the fresh spinach and chopped parsley, let the soup simmer for 2 minutes, then take off the heat. Discard the Parmesan rind and serve with shaved or grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks so good Julia! I’m making it tonight as a heartwarming meal! So fast and simple and healthy too ! It’s a 5 star from me!!
Thank you so much, Angela! I hope you and the family enjoy it! 🙂
This is so delicious and fairly easy to make! Love the tip about adding the Parmesan rind! So good!
I love adding the Parmesan rind, so much more flavour!
This soup not only turned out beautiful it was so delicious! The meatballs were so good. I also have hearty appetites in my house and this was very satisfying. Thank you!
So happy to hear it, Melissa!! 🙂
I loved it! Such a comforting meal for weeknights!
I love how quick it is, Tony!