Good evening!
MY, my, MY – when it rains it pours! The sky has not shut since I left my house at 5:15am!
I’m actually quite pleased that it’s so gloomy out, as it fits in perfectly with my plans for dinner – Italian Wedding Soup!
I don’t know how or why I have this recipe stored in my brain, but whenever I make it, I’m reminded of family. It is seriously one of the tastiest soups I have ever had – there were audible “Mmmm. MMMmm. MMMMMMMMMMMMs!” tonight!
Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper
1 bag baby spinach (or 1/2 carton frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry of excess moisture)
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
46oz chicken broth
1/2 cup small pasta (I used ancini di pepe)
1/2 lb mini meatballs, cooked*
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a big soup pot on medium low heat. Add onion, a dash of salt & pepper, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
2. Add entire bag of spinach to the pot, stir to coat with oil, add a couple more dashes of S&P and allow spinach to wilt and cook ~3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile whisk eggs and parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. When spinach is cooked, add chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta (I used acini di pipi) and cook until al dente ~7-8 minutes. Add mini meatballs and cook for an additional minute, or until heated through.
(My finger to show you their actual size!)
5. Stream egg and cheese mixture into soup and stir gently in a circular motion. Allow egg to cook for an additional minute.
6. Serve and enjoy!
**If making your own mini meatballs, drop them in the chicken broth with the pasta and let them cook together for the same amount of time.
SO YUMMY!!!
Honestly – it doesn’t get much better than this easy Italian wedding soup. It might beat out my Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup…that’s sayin’ something!!
It sounds strange, but the egg is really chewy and savory because it’s been infused with the Parmesan cheese, and the small pasta are so cute!
Wikipedia says: The term “wedding soup” is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata (“married soup”), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together.
I concur! These mini meatballs are really the star of this soup. The completely flavor the broth and are so incredibly delicious. I find them over in the meat department of my grocery store, but you can make your own, too!
Seriously guys – take 20 minutes to make this recipe for Italian wedding soup – you will be SO happy you did. I guarantee you will keep this recipe around to make again and again!!!
Well my little brother is in town from Colorado for Thanksgiving, so I’m going to go hit up my parent’s house to haaaaang with him and the fam for the evening. Soup belly, out!
~~~~~
What dishes remind you of your family?
Looks like I’ve got another soup to try this weekend! Yay! That last soup was so good, I feel absolutely compelled to make this…
Italian Wedding Soup! Used to eat it all the time when I was younger
That’s my mom’s favorite soup. She had it at her wedding. I think the mini paasta and meatballs are ridiculous
I love this soup! It’s one of my favorites! The mini-meatballs are super cute!
I do the same thing! I always plan to have soups, stews, or warm cozy bowls of goodness when it rains. Just helps to get through a rainy day.
Food makes everything better. 
My family has some traditional welsh dishes that I love and no one I know makes them but my family. I especially love the Welsh Cookies and Welshman’s mess. Such family memories
i’ve never had this soup, but my sister loves it! it looks wonderful!
(1) Pierogies and (2) ratatouille — (1) my nanny used to make these from scratch for every holiday, we’re Polish, and the tradition has carried on! and (2) one of my mom’s fave dinners to make all throughout the year depending on what was fresh – yum
Love nostalgic foods!
The soup looks delicious! Tuna steaks remind me of my family, since that’s our classic “special dinner” meal. And pierogies, kapusta, and chili remind me of our extended-family gatherings. Those are staples
NEVER had that type of soup girl!! and your overnight oats from last post look..soo.. good!
Both of the recipes that come to mind were my grandmothers’: Boston brown bread (baked in tin cans), and pineapple-stuffed cookies with nutmeg. Yum!
that looks heavenly!!! Perfect for rainy weather
Cute blog! I’ve been looking for an Italian Wedding Soup recipe, so I immediately clicked on yours when I saw it on foodgawker – it looks amazing!
I went to college in Iowa and my parents live in Des Moines now. I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the corn fields
I love Italian Wedding soup! Gotta try your recipe in these chilly months.
One of our favorite soups, and you did a fine job of presenting it.
If you were not already married, and if you are as cute as your photo indicates, I would guess that the soup would accept your proposal of marriage — LOL.
Saw this on foodgawker and tried it tonight, using my own home-made meatballs – YUM!!! Delicious! I too could marry this soup. Thanks for posting!
As a native Iowan (Postville), I can certainly appreciate a hearty soup.
I wish I could marry it, but that would be very complicated.
Hi Kristin,
I’m here in Des Moines too and I want to make this soup so badly but can’t find the mini meatballs! Where did you find them? I see the pkg is from HyVee but the one on 22nd St in WDM didn’t have them and the guy looked at me funny for asking.
Thanks! Love you recipes!
Jenny
make that “your recipes” not you recipes!
I have been looking for this exact recipe for an hour. Thank you for posting this. It is my husbands favorite. I can’t wait to make it for him.
Blessings,
Amy
[...] Italian Wedding Soup [...]
This is actually a good point you have outlined. It will be interesting to give it a go by myself and observe if I obtain your very same verdict.
I made this last night and it was awesome. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers. I love the tiny pasta (mine’s Archer Farms) and am trying to think of other recipes that could use it. The only thing I changed was to use the big bag of spinach (9 oz I think) and I made my own meatballs. I baked them first without thinking how they could cook in the soup. Thanks!
This was fantastic! My grandmothers version has always been my favorite soup so I was nervous to try this, but it was great! I had some leftover homemade turkey burgers that I cut into cubes to use at the meatballs and they worked really well! Thanks!
Man, my grandmomma was from Sicily and she made the most delicious meatballs I ever tasted, like you had died and gone to meatball heaven. Sadly, she died last year and she didnt leave a recipe for me so I’ve been trying to work it out on my own… slowly working my through the meatball recipe here, I still cant figure out what her secret ingredient was though!!!
I’ve probably made this five times since you posted this recipe, and we’re having it again tonight! I’m going to use vegetarian sausage crumbles, though, so we can all eat it.
Just finishing up the last touches on this soup, and can’t wait to eat it (even though it’s only 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning!
my question is how much does that recipe make i am looking to serve 80 people?? can someone help me figure out how much stuff i will need???