Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Once upon a time I used to think Minestrone soup from a can was great, and the hubs, he loved Italian Wedding Soup.  About six years ago, I decided to make a batch of soup from scratch. It. Was. Life-changing.  I’ll admit that soup can definitely makes a mess some days, but I never regret it.

Italian Wedding Soup – something they serve at a wedding over in rustic Italy? Not quite. The name actually comes from a slight mis-translation (minestra maritata = married soup). And the term “married soup” simply points out that meats and green vegetables go well together. Kinda funny how these things come to be, eh?

My learning-to-cook days involved a lot of Food Network, so naturally a handful of my favorite soups come from my favorite chef, Ina Garten.  With a few tweaks I came up with an Italian Wedding Soup recipe that is sure to put a smile on the man’s face when he walks in the door.  Six years later, and never to buy a can again.

5 from 1 vote

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Italian Wedding Soup

Course Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Tammy Blankenship altered from Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey or beef
• 1 pound ground turkey sausage
• 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium minced onion
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 10-11 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup small pasta I use orzo
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dill
• 6 ounces baby spinach washed and trimmed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. For the meatballs, place the ground sausage, ground meat, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine with a fork or your hands.
3. Roll into balls. (about 3 tablespoons big - makes about 40).
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
5. Once the meatballs are in the oven, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot.
6. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
9. Add the dill, meatballs, and spinach and simmer for 1 more minute.
10. Serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Need some bread to go with your soup? Try one of these:

Parmesan Pull Apart Bread

Quick Rise Rustic Rolls