This hearty Italian wedding soup is packed full of juicy Italian sausage meatballs, tender pasta, and lots of veggies in a rich broth. Top bowls with lots of Parmesan and serve with thick bread slices for dipping.
You are cordially invited to the ultimate wedding. It’s conveniently in your soup pot today!
Italian wedding soup is a staple at Italian restaurants for very good reason. This humble soup may look simple, but it’s packed full of so much aromatic goodness that’s pretty much a hug in a bowl.
A very large bowl with lots of Parmesan on top and lots of bread nearby for dipping, please.
You might be wondering where the term “wedding soup” comes from. Italian wedding soup was originally known as “minestra maritata” which refers to the flavorful marriage of meat and vegetables in a rich broth.
There are many variations of Italian wedding soup, but my version is following more along the lines of Italian-American since we’re using tiny homemade meatballs, pasta, and a variety of vegetables.
This Soup features…
- Juicy Italian sausage meatballs
- Soft carrots, celery, and baby spinach
- Tender pasta cooked in a rich seasoned broth
Making the Soup
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Italian sausage
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Egg
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Chicken broth
- Pasta
- Spinach
Choosing Your Pasta
I recommend going with a short cut of pasta such as acini de pepe, small shells, orzo, ditalini, or elbows. A smaller shape of pasta will cook to the same size as the vegetables making this soup easy to eat.
Tips for Perfect Soup
- Sear the meatballs – this will hold the meatballs together in the soup and set the flavor base.
- Cut vegetables in uniform size – ideally, you want all the vegetables around the same size so they cook evenly.
- Simmer soup 8-10 minutes – this simmer time will cook the pasta and finish cooking through the meatballs.
- Add spinach at end of cooking – adding the spinach after simmering will prevent it from getting overcooked.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this soup.
- Use a different meat – try using ground pork or beef in place of the Italian sausage. Be aware, you may need to use a little additional salt.
- Try different vegetables – try kale, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, mushrooms, or sweet pepper.
- Use another pasta – any small shape of pasta works great in this soup.
Storing and Freezing Soup
This soup stores well in refrigerator up to 6 days. Reheat leftovers in individual servings in microwave 2-3 minutes or over medium heat on stovetop for larger portions. If after storing you find that the pasta has soaked up too much of the broth, add a few extra splashes as needed to thin soup.
To freeze soup, allow to cool completely then store in a freezer-safe container, leaving about an inch of open air on top, and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw completely in refrigerator before reheating or reheat from frozen over low heat on stovetop.
Every part of this soup just screams COZY! The meatballs cook up so freaking juicy and are the perfect compliment against the tender vegetables and tiny pasta.
Please do this soup up the right way and top with entirely way too much Parmesan and serve with thick bread slices. You’ve just gotta!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Try these other classic soups next!
Italian Wedding Soup
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Italian Wedding Soup
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry acini de pepe pasta (or other small pasta)
- 2 cups firmly-packed baby spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese and bread for serving
Instructions
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine ground sausage, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Scoop mixture into 1-in meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- In a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat oil and swirl pan to evenly coat. Add meatballs to pan and sear on all sides, turning occasionally with a tongs until meatballs are golden brown. Transfer meatballs to a clean plate and set aside.
Italian Wedding Soup
- Heat drippings in same pan you used to sear the meatballs over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté in pan drippings 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add garlic, oregano, and basil and cook 1 additional minute until fragrant.
- Add seared meatballs and chicken broth to vegetable mixture and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, add pasta and allow to cook 8-10 minutes until pasta is tender and meatballs register 165F.
- Remove soup from heat and fold in spinach until wilted. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm with Parmesan and bread for dipping. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 2/6/25.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Sarah, well I’m here in WI too so I’ll be eating SOUP for the next few months to stay warm . . and this italian wedding soup is gorgeous!!! I want to dive in!!! yum!!!
Sarah says
Haha! You and me both, girlfriend! WI girls gotta stick together. 😉
katie says
This soup looks fantastic! I could eat it up right through the screen, yummmmm!
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Katie!
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
I am such a sucker for the italian wedding soup especially this time of the year, when its this cold.
Sarah says
You’ve gotta try this soup, Kathy! It definitely warms you right up. 🙂
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
This Italian Wedding Soup looks amazing! I too thought it was served it weddings.
Stay warm!
Sarah says
Thanks Christin!
Mandie @ Mandie's Kitchen says
Pinned! I love Italian soups…Actually, I love soup, period. Definitely want to try this one….Oh, Sarah, how do you get the first few sentences of your post (and you Pinterest username) into the pin description of first photo on your posts?
Sarah says
I put the text I want in my pin description into the alternate text box in my images. Hope that helps! 🙂
Mandie @ Mandie's Kitchen says
Oh yes, of course! Haha, don’t know WHY I didn’t think of that. Thanks!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
Love your healthy veggie version of this soup! Pinned!
Sarah says
Thanks for the pin, girl!
Melissa says
Can I substitute sausage instead of the meatballs
Sarah says
Sure that would be fine!
DANIEL GADBOIS says
great recipe
CT says
I just made this soup and it is wonderful! Absolutely yummy, great flavors. I was especially excited to find organic parsnips, so my soup was completely organic with grass fed beef. I did add a heaping tsp of Simply Organic Italian Seasoning because I only had regular diced tomatoes. The meatballs are fabulous on their own, my man kept sneaking them off the cookie sheet.
I have your chocolate molasses crinkle cookies in the oven and I’ll get back to you on those, but they look and smell terrific.
Thank you!
Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Sarah says
I’m so glad to hear that this soup was a hit! Enjoy the cookies as well! 🙂
Brenda says
One of the prettiest soups I’ve ever cooked! How can I post a pic?
Sarah says
Hi Brenda! If you have an Instagram, I’d love to see a picture! Just post it to your Instagram and tag @WholeHeavenly and use the hashtag #wholeandheavenlyoven
Cate says
Could I substitute potatoes for the parsnips?
Sarah says
Yes, that would work fine, Cate!
Tara Rumore says
Hi! We love this recipe and it’s become a staple in our household. Thank you for sharing. I was about to make it today and noticed that the recipe has been updated. Any chance I could get the original? We love how it feeds so many of us and is good for leftovers. Thank you.
Sarah says
Hi Tara – I can certainly send you the original recipe. Is it okay if I send the original recipe in a document to the email you have provided here?
Becca says
I agree- we loved the original recipe! Why did you switch parsnips for celery? We made it tonight and swapped the celery for parsnips- we took a guess and think it was 2 or 3 parsnips- seemed to be right!
Sarah says
Hi Becca – I can definitely send you the original recipe if you want it! Let me know and I can send it to you via email.
Becca says
Yes please!