Best Ever Italian Wedding Soup (30 Minute Recipe)
Italian Wedding Soup can be thrown together in 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal. Enjoy a warm, comforting bowl on chilly nights!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 pound ground meat any combo of chicken/beef/sausage we used ½ pound ground chicken and ½ pound ground italian sausage
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Acini di pepe pasta
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir the milk into the breadcrumbs and allow the bread crumbs to absorb the moisture before continuing. This will make an extra moist meatball.
- Add ground meats, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, egg, and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Use your hands to thoroughly mix the meatball mixture.
- Use a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie dough scoop to form the meatballs. You can add them directly to the soup mixture to cook or brown them for more color.
- To brown the meatballs, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the meatballs just until browned on all sides (they will cook the rest of the way in the soup).
- Meanwhile, add a bit of olive oil to a heavy bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven.
- Saute celery and onions in the oil until soft and the onions become translucent. Add carrots and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the pasta and add the meatballs. Continue simmering until the pasta is cooked to your liking and the meatballs are cooked through (8-10 minutes).
- Remove soup from heat and stir in spinach leaves.
- Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a bit of fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
This makes about 12 meatballs for the soup. The recipe can easily be doubled and extra meatballs can be cooked through and added to pastas or sauces, or frozen up to 3 months for another time.
The meatballs tend to become misshapen while pan-frying. Rotate them frequently and gently while cooking to help them keep their shape. You can also roll the meatballs in your hands to help compact them. The meatballs will cook through just fine and stay nice and round if you scoop them directly from the mixing bowl into the simmering soup. They will not be browned on the outside, but otherwise will be just as good.
You can use regular or herb-seasoned breadcrumbs instead of the panko if you wish. The key to moist meatballs is letting the breadcrumbs absorb the milk before adding any of the other ingredients.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 299cal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1824mg | Sugar: 5g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 3mg