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Simple Recipes for Every Day

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian wedding soup in a bowl with a spoon toped with parsley and Parmesan
  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  25 min
  • Cook Time:  30 min

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup Italian breadcrumbs (see Note)
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ½ pound ground beef
  • ½ pound ground pork
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
  • ¼ cup minced flat leaf parsley

For the soup

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced into ¼-inch pieces
  • 3 ribs celery, diced into ¼-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups beef stock or chicken stock
  • 1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini or tubettini
  • 1 large head of Escarole, roughly chopped or 4 cups baby spinach
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

  1. Turn the oven to broil with a rack in the center. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper.

  2. Make the meatballs. In a small bowl, mix together the heavy cream, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, gently combine the ground beef, ground pork, Parmesan, parsley and the breadcrumb mixture. Mix well, then with wet hands, form meatballs (about 1½ tablespoons each) and place on the prepared sheet pan. You should have about 35 meatballs. Broil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned.

  3. Make the soup. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is glistening, add the onion, carrots, celery, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the chicken stock, beef stock, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.

  4. Once the soup is boiling, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the meatballs and escarole and cook until the pasta is tender and the escarole is wilted, about 6-8 more minutes.

  5. Divide the soup between bowls and serve with a squeeze of lemon, Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.


Note: If you use unseasoned bread crumbs, just add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning to the meatballs.