Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup is filling, flavorful, and comforting. This classic Italian-American dish is a favorite for good reason. If you’ve never tried it, what are you waiting for!

Italian Wedding Soup doesn’t have anything to do with weddings, but rather, the “marriage” between meat and veggies (and pasta). This classic soup is made with pastina – the tiniest, round (or sometimes star-shaped) pasta that exists!

In my home, pastina was a go-to, nourishing dish for children and it was also comfort food to serve with broth topped with a bit of butter when someone was sick. I still joke about it with my brothers and sisters – whenever someone Is ill, “Make some pastina” is usually part of the prescription for what ails you! So, you can see why this Italian Wedding Soup is considered comfort food.

You’ve certainly seen Italian Wedding Soup on the menu at your favorite Italian restaurant. It’s a crowd-pleaser, for sure. It’s also a great dish to toss together when you don’t have a lot in the fridge.

My mom was visiting for Thanksgiving, and after the holiday, Italian Wedding Soup made its way to the menu. You know what it’s like the days following a giant holiday meal? No one wants to fuss much in the kitchen but you still gotta get a meal on the table.

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Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup has everything you need in one bowl (see what I’m saying about “marriage?”): meatballs, veggies, and pasta. Serve it with some crunchy croutons, and you’re set.

The soup came together so quickly. My mom, however, has her own version of this classic soup. As she said, “Everyone has their own version.” Some people include sausage and even chicken in the dish.

Choose the vegetable you love or have on hand to include in Italian Wedding Soup. I used hearty kale, but you could include spinach, escarole, or endive.

I’m not sure what it is about the tiny ingredients in Italian Wedding Soup – from the pastina to the tiny meatballs – but this is definitely a filling dish that won’t weigh you down.

The meatballs in this recipe were bigger than tiny. I’d consider them to be simply, very small meatballs. They don’t include all the normal ingredients found in my Easy Homemade Meatballs recipe, but it’s pretty close.

Be sure to serve this soup with grated Parmesan cheese on top and several crunchy croutons. It’s a crowd-pleaser every time!

Patricia - Grab a Plate

Yields Serves 6

Italian Wedding Soup

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Ingredients

For the Meatballs:
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
For the Soup:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced fine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 carrots, diced small
• 1 cup kale, stripped from stems and chopped
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 8 ounces pastina
• Salt, red, and black pepper

Instructions

For the Meatballs:
1. In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to a bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together until combined. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more breadcrumbs to the mix.
2. Shape the mixture into small-sized (not tiny) meatballs.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meatballs on all sides for 5-6 minutes.
4. Remove the meatballs from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
For the Soup:
5. Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, kale, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
6. Add the broth to the mixture and the meatballs. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the pastina and cook for 12-14 minutes (according to the package directions) or until the pastina is tender.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add the red pepper and stir.
9. Serve hot in individual bowls garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and croutons.

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