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Italian · American

Italian wedding soup

Non-vegetarian

Tiny Parmesan-flecked meatballs simmered in chicken broth with leafy greens and small pasta. The 'wedding' refers to the marriage of meat and greens, not a ceremony.

Italian wedding soup is an Italian soup from United States, ready in about 1 hour and made with ground beef and endive. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 h
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
420

Ingredients

6 servings

For the meatballs

For the soup

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the beef, pork, breadcrumbs (opens in a new tab), egg (opens in a new tab), Parmesan (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab) and salt with your hands until just combined. Roll into marble-sized balls (about 2 cm) and chill while you start the soup.

    • 15 min

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw meat and egg.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large pot and soften the onion (opens in a new tab), carrot (opens in a new tab) and celery (opens in a new tab) for 8 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the salt and bring to the boil.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Lower to a simmer and drop in the meatballs. Add the pasta (opens in a new tab) and cook until the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta is tender.

    • 10 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Meatballs must be cooked through with no pink in the centre (71°C).

    Pasta boiling in a pot of water
    How it looks · Photo: Gianpiero Ferraro on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the escarole and cook for 2–3 minutes until wilted. Season with pepper (opens in a new tab) and serve with extra Parmesan (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    • medium-low heat

About this dish

Origin
United States · Commonly attributedThis meatball-and-pasta version is an Italian-American dish; it descends from minestra maritata, a heartier southern Italian (Campanian) soup of greens and assorted meats.Also popular in ItalyMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Poached
Taste
savoury, umami, mild
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Pork-free, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Freezer-friendly · One-pot
Cook more with
Ground beef · Endive · Ground pork · Breadcrumbs · Egg · Parmesan
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Poaching

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom breadcrumbs, parmesan
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, dried pasta
  • Contains: Wheatfrom breadcrumbs, dried pasta
  • Contains: Glutenfrom breadcrumbs, dried pasta
  • May contain: Soyfrom breadcrumbs
  • May contain: Sesamefrom breadcrumbs
  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery, chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

420 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 485 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 31%
  • Fat 44%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy420 kcal87 kcal
Protein26.1 g5.4 g
Carbohydrate32.2 g6.6 g
Net carbohydrate29.3 g6 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.9 g0.6 g
Fat20.1 g4.1 g
Saturated fat6.8 g1.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol90 mg18 mg
Sodium995 mg205 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
796 mg
Calcium
130 mg
Iron
3.2 mg
Magnesium
49 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
239 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
1.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
155 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: parmesan.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Wet hands make rolling tiny meatballs much faster.

Common mistakes

  • Over-mixing the meat makes the meatballs dense.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days chilled; freeze without the pasta for best texture.

Reheating

  • Reheat until piping hot, adding broth as the pasta absorbs liquid.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the meatballs

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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