Warm up with this delicious Italian Wedding Soup made with leafy greens, meatballs, pasta and a flavorful broth. This soup is pure Italian comfort food that is perfect for a cozy and comforting meal on a chilly day.

This Italian wedding soup is my family's recipe for this delicious Italian soup made with meatballs, garlicky broth, pasta and leafy greens, and it is the ultimate feel-good soup. This is my Italian American's family's version of this soup where we turn the mini meatballs into regular sized meatballs, and the pasta is larger too (to match the meatballs!)
It is easy to make, makes great leftovers, and it is perfect for the young and old. I think you will really enjoy it too!
The Story of Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is an Italian-American recipe that is believed to have originated in the U.S. by Italian immigrants. It is storied that this soup was born from the Italian soup "minestra" which is a beans and greens kind of soup. It is thought that that recipe was adapted to include other ingredients and it is what we know today as wedding soup.
Was this soup ever part of Italian weddings? No. The wedding part of the name comes from the idea of marrying ingredients together, not people 🙂 Today, this soup is very popular and is served all over the U.S. at most Italian restaurants and in Italian American homes.
What You Will Need (And Substitutions)
Here is a list of what you will need. The full recipe and quantities are below:

Soup
- Unsalted chicken stock : You can also use chicken broth.
- Carrots
- Onion
- Greens: I love using any leafy greens I have in my fridge. Escarole, fresh spinach, baby spinach or kale all work great.
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Red pepper flakes: Don't worry, it won't be spicy.
- Oregano: I prefer using dried oregano but you can use fresh if you have it.
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Parmesan: You want to grate this for topping the soup and you also want the rind for cooking in the soup. If you prefer a different cheese, Pecorino Romano works great too.
- Bay leaf
- Pasta: acini di pepe is traditional but my family prefers bow-tie pasta, ditalini or orecchiette. Use any small pasta shape you can find.
Meatballs
- Ground pork: I love using pork for my Italian wedding soup because it has so much flavor. You can also use ground chicken, ground beef or ground turkey if you prefer.
- Italian bread crumbs: I like the fine texture of these breadcrumbs for my meatballs. If you have Panko breadcrumbs, those will work too.
- Milk
- Oregano
- Garlic minced
- Kosher salt
- Grated Parmesan
- Eggs
About The Meatballs For This Wedding Soup
My family has always bucked the trend of making mini meatballs and instead make regular sized meatballs for this soup. We bake the meatballs in the oven first then add them to the soup at the end.
Making full sized Italian meatballs and doubling the meatball portion of this recipe lets us have meatballs for this soup and Italian meatballs with sauce on another night. This is Italian cooking at its finest which means, cook once and eat twice!
If you prefer mini meatballs, feel free to roll them small and just decrease the cooking time in the oven. Just make sure to also swap out the larger pasta for a smaller one to better match the size of the meatballs!
How To Make Italian Wedding Soup

- Make the meatballs: To make the meatballs add all of the ingredients for the meatballs into a large bowl then mix well. Roll the meatballs in your hand and place them on a baking sheet. Bake the meatballs for about 10-15 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven or until they are fully cooked.
- Prepare the broth: In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, cook your carrots, garlic and onions for the broth. Once the aromatics are cooked, go ahead and add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
- Season: This is where the flavor is in this soup. Add the bay leaf, Parmesan rind, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Cook the pasta: I prefer cooking the pasta separately from the soup so it does not get mushy and absorb all of the broth. Cook the pasta until al dente then drain it and add it back to the pot. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.
- Gently Simmer: Allow the soup to gently simmer for a little bit to let the flavors all come together. Don't rush it.
- Assemble: Once you have made your soup, pasta and meatballs (they are all made separately) then you can begin bringing it all together. The meatballs get added right into the soup.
Serve with copious amounts of Parmesan and fresh black pepper.
Recipe Tips
- Double the meatball portion of the recipe: for an easy meal another night. I always make more meatballs than I need for this soup recipe because meatballs freeze well and can be used in other meals later on during the week.
- Gently simmer: Be patient and gently simmer the broth and don't rush it with a rapid boil. This will give the seasoning and aromatics time to blend into the soup.
What to Serve With Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup in my opinion should always be served with bread! This is how I have always had it and it just works.
You can use:
If you are in a pinch and don't have access to bread, saltine crackers or oyster crackers will work too.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
If you have leftover soup, here is how I like to handle it:
- Storing: Allow the soup to come to almost room temperature then place the soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you have leftover pasta that is served in the soup, refrigerate that in a separate container as well.
- Reheating: To reheat the soup, place the soup in a medium pot covered and bring to a gentle simmer over medium low heat. Heat the soup until warmed through. While the soup is heating, reheat the pasta by placing it in a microwave safe bowl with a dampened paper towel over the top. Microwave on medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until just warm. Add the pasta to the soup when serving.
- Freezing: This soup freezes well and I prefer to freeze it in different parts. I like to remove the meatballs from the soup and place them in a freezer safe plastic bag. For the broth, place that in a separate bag and freeze both for up to 2 months. The pasta portion does not freeze well so make a new batch when you are ready to eat it.
Recipe Faqs
No. Italian wedding soup is an Italian American recipe and not a traditional Italian recipe served in Italy.
Italian wedding soup is sometimes called minestra which means married soup.
Yes you can make Italian wedding soup ahead of time since it stores well in the fridge. Just make sure not to add the pasta until you are ready to reheat the soup.
More Italian Soups

Italian Wedding Soup (Meatball And Pasta Soup)
Ingredients
Soup
- 32 ounces unsalted chicken stock
- 16 ounces Firm Greens escarole (just the green tips then coarse chop it), kale or spinach
- ½ lb ditalini pasta orecchiette, bow tie pasta or any small pasta shape you can find. For a traditional pasta, use acini di pepe.
- 2 cups Carrots diced
- ½ cup Yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
- the rind of Parmesan optional but highly recommended
- 1 bay leaf
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan freshly grated
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Meatballs
- Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees
- Add your bread crumbs and milk into a large bowl and mix well.½ cup bread crumbs, 3 tablespoon milk
- Next add your Parmesan, salt, garlic and Oregano to the breadcrumbs and mix together.¼ cup Parmesan, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- Now add your ground pork to the bowl along with your beaten egg and with your hands, mix the meat and egg into the other ingredients until everything is well incorporated.1 lb ground pork, 1 large egg
- Make your meatballs by scooping out a heaping tablespoon full of your mixture and gently rolling the meatballs until they form a ball.
- Place on a lined baking sheet when done rolling. Keep doing this until you have used up all of your mixture.
- Place your meatballs in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until they just turning golden on the bottom and cooked through. When they are done cooking, remove them from the oven and set aside.
Soup
- In a large heavy bottom pot add your olive oil and heat over medium for 2-3 minutes.1 tablespoon Olive oil
- After your oil is heated, add your diced carrots and onions and cook for 3-4 minutes.2 cups Carrots, ½ cup Yellow onion
- Now add your red pepper flakes and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 3 cloves Garlic
- Add your chicken stock and mix well.32 ounces unsalted chicken stock
- Next add your escarole and press it all into the soup as much as possible. Place a lid on the soup a let the escarole cook down, about 5 minutes.16 ounces Firm Greens
- Once the escarole has cooked down, add your Parmesan rind, bay leaf, salt, pepper and oregano and mix well.1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, the rind of Parmesan, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least 15 minutes and while you make your pasta.
Pasta
- Fill medium pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Add a pinch of salt and your pasta to the water once it is boiling and cook to al dente according tot he manufacturers instructions.½ lb ditalini pasta
- Once cooked, drain your pasta and add it back to the pot.
- Drizzle with a little olive oil and mix well.
- Set aside.
Assemble
- Add your meatballs to your soup and gently stir.
- Ladle pasta into soup bowls and then ladle some soup and some meatballs into each bowl with the pasta.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and good garlic bread (optional).
- Serve with freshly ground black pepper.
Meghan
Thank you for sharing this recipe