Name: Italian Wedding Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 1/2 onion, chopped; 3 carrots, chopped; 1-2 celery stalk, sliced or finely chopped; 3-6 garlic cloves, minced; 8 cups chicken broth; 2 cups water; 1/2 cup white wine (sauvignon blanc); 1/2 cup small pasta (orzo, ditalini, etc); 4 cups chopped kale, packed; 1/4 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; 1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced; salt, pepper, to taste; 6 oz ground beef; 6 oz ground pork; 1/2 onion, finely grated; 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs; 1/4 cup milk; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated; 1/2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Italian wedding soup is so comforting and easy to make. With kale, pasta and tiny, juicy meatballs, this soup is such a treat.

Italian Wedding Soup was a popular dish on the menu everywhere in Upstate New York where I grew up. Even though I grew up with mainly Eastern European food, I also grew up in a small town with a lot of Italians. Pizza, Chicken Riggies, Tomato Pie and so many amazing Italian bakeries were bountiful in Utica, NY.

I love the simplicity of the Italian cuisine, which always seems to achieve incredible flavors. I'm told that Italian Wedding Soup is a very common dish in the Italian household, probably just like Russian Meatball Soup in our family.

The light, flavorful broth pairs so well with some basic aromatics, like onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I chose to make the soup with kale, but you can make it with spinach or even lettuce. Since Italians are so famous for their meatballs, it's no wonder this soup features them too. With a bit of small pasta and some Parmesan cheese, this soup will delight your taste buds. It's perfect for the summer because it's so easy and fast to prepare. Who wants to be slaving over a kitchen stove during the gorgeous summer days? "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Ingredients:

Soup:

onion (yellow or white onion)
carrots
celery
garlic
olive oil (for sauteing the veggies)
chicken broth
- Homemade chicken broth is the absolute best, especially in such a simple recipe where it's a key ingredient. Of course, you can also use store bought broth.
white wine, optional
- You need a dry white wine, I like sauvignon blanc. You can omit the wine and just use more broth.
small pasta (orzo, ditalini, etc.)
meatballs (recipe included)
kale
- any kind of kale will work in this recipe. Green curly kale and dinosaur, aka Tuscan kale are my favorites. Instead of kale, you can use spinach or other dark leafy greens.
Parmesan cheese,
fresh parsley
salt, ground black pepper

Meatballs:

ground meat
- for most classic Italian meatballs, a mixture of ground beef and ground pork is used. I also often use just ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey. They will all work great in this recipe.
onion
- Since I only use half of a grated onion in the meatballs, I chop up the remaining half and use it in the soup, along with the other whole onion.
panko bread crumbs + milk to soak the crumbs
Parmesan cheese
- grated cheese in the meatballs is so good
fresh parsley
salt, ground black pepper

How To Make Italian Wedding Soup:

Prep all the ingredients.
- Chop the onion (s), carrots and celery.
- Mince the garlic.
- For the kale, remove the center stem and finely chop the leafy green leaves. (It's pretty easy to strip the center stalk with your hands or you can use a knife to cut it out.)
Make the meatballs.
- Mix all the ingredients in a small or medium bowl. (Let the bread crumbs soak in the milk for about 5 minutes first.)
- With dampened hands, shape them into small meatballs, about ½ Tablespoon each. You should have 55-60 tiny meatballs.
Saute the aromatic vegetables first. In a medium/large pot or a dutch oven, heat up the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 8 minutes, until the veggies are tender.
Pour in the chicken broth, water and the white wine. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the pasta and the meatballs. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the pasta and the meatballs are almost cooked through.
Finally, add the kale. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Garnish the soup with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Keep in mind that the longer the soup stands, the more liquid the pasta will soak up. If you serve the soup immediately, this doesn't matter, but if you're making enough to have leftovers or are making it ahead of time, add more liquid than you think you'll need.

For a bit of a different spin on this soup, add some cream at the end. It adds some richness and creaminess that pairs really well with this soup.

You can also add some potatoes to this soup, just cook the soup a bit longer to cook the potatoes before adding the meatballs and pasta at the end.

More Delicious Soups

Chicken Noodle Soup
Tomato Meatball Soup
Chicken Meatball Soup
The absolute best Homemade Chicken Broth
Broccoli Cheddar Soup