Italian Wedding Soup
Updated December 28, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE MEATBALLS
1 large egg
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
½ cup Italian bread crumbs or panko
⅓ cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
½ teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil, for forming the meatballs
FOR THE SOUP
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 medium carrots, diced (about 2 cups)
2 to 3 large celery ribs, diced (about 1½ cups)
2 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth, plus more as needed
½ cup acini di pepe, ditalini or orzo
3 cups packed baby spinach
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
29 grams carbs; 76 milligrams cholesterol; 463 calories; 16 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1046 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the meatballs: Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat it lightly with a fork. Add the beef, pork, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly, until incorporated. Coat your hands with olive oil, then form small meatballs using 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture per meatball; transfer to a plate or sheet pan. You should have about 80 (1-inch) meatballs.
- Step 2
Make the soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in 2 batches, turning occasionally, until mostly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Step 3
Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt (or 2 teaspoons if you’re using low-sodium broth) and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 4
Return the meatballs to the pot, add the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the pasta, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Step 5
Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. (The broth should taste pleasantly salty.) Serve hot, topped with Parmesan. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits; you may need to add broth when reheating. Soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer (see Tip).
To freeze, cool soup to room temperature in the pot, then transfer to airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, or run the container under hot tap water until the soup releases. Transfer to a pot and bring to a simmer, partially covered, adding more water or broth if necessary.
Private Notes
Comments
I bake the meatballs at 350 for 15 minutes. I use escarole instead of spinach. And I cook the pasta separately and add to each bowl while serving; this way the pasta doesn’t get mushy in the leftovers.
There's hardly any way this soup can be prepared in the 15 minutes the recipe indicates. It includes forming 80 small meatballs! And there's onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to peel/chop too. It is a great soup though.
To streamline the meatball making, I make a square or rectangle out of the entire meatball mixture about 1" thick. Then cut into 1" squares. To brown I broil watching carefully. My family isn't fussed if the meatball shape isn't round :)
On another note, I froze half of this and warmed on the stovetop a month later, adding a little chix broth to loosen it up. The orzo froze just fine. Added parm and lemon juice and it was just like fresh again.
I used all grounded pork since it feels silly to have to buy and open two different things of meats and leave the other half. I didn’t have parsley but I used spring onions from our CSA box. Delicious!
My mother always cooked the meatballs right in the simmering broth. No frying or baking.