Italian Wedding Soup is one of those cozy, soul-soothing recipes that makes any day instantly better. It’s filled with tender chicken meatballs, greens, and just the right amount of lemon to keep things bright and fresh. On rainy days I have this recipe along with my Easy White Chicken Chile Soup and French Onion Soup on repeat.
Classic Italian Wedding Soup at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 35 minutes (15 min prep + 20 min cook)
- 👪 Servings: 6 people
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: Italian-style soup
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Light yet rich; savory chicken-meatball broth, wilted kale, bright lemon & plenty of Parmesan
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains poultry (chicken), dairy (Parmesan), eggs; not vegetarian; freezer-friendly (per notes)
- 📦 Storage Notes: Can freeze individual portions for quick lunches (cool completely then freeze)
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Meatball-loaded, full of greens and Parmesan-broth — comforting, better than your average soup, perfect for winter or make-ahead meals.
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Why I Love This Recipe
Italian Wedding Soup is one of those timeless, feel-good recipes that’s equal parts cozy and comforting. I love it because it hits all the right notes: savory homemade chicken meatballs, tender greens, creamy beans, and a light, lemony broth that ties it all together. It’s a hug in a bowl, and even though it sounds fancy, it comes together quickly with pantry staples.
The name “Italian Wedding Soup” actually has nothing to do with weddings at all! It comes from the Italian phrase minestra maritata, which means “married soup.” It refers to the perfect marriage between greens and meat in the broth... a pairing that’s been made for centuries in Italian kitchens.
It’s also endlessly adaptable. You can make it with whatever greens you have on hand, swap in turkey or pork for the meatballs, or even keep it vegetarian by skipping the meat and doubling up on beans. It’s hearty enough for a chilly night, light enough for lunch, and even better the next day when all the flavors have had time to come together. This soup also pairs amazing with some easy homemade garlic bread and a winter green salad.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground chicken (or ground turkey) and if you like poultry based soups you should check out my turkey tortilla soup and my easy chicken posole
- Curly kale (or spinach if you prefer)
- Cannellini beans (or great northern beans)
How to Make
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Mix until just combined, then form into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear the meatballs on all sides until golden brown, about 4–6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 3–5 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
- Pour in the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add the kale and cook for 3 minutes until wilted.
- Add the meatballs and cannellini beans to the pot and simmer for 8 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and Parmesan. Slowly drizzle the mixture into the simmering soup while stirring gently to create silky strands.
- Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve the Italian Wedding Soup hot with extra Parmesan on top.
Tips & Tricks
- Make Ahead: The meatballs can be made and seared up to two days ahead. Store them in the fridge and add to the soup when you’re ready.
- Add Pasta: If you want to bulk the Italian Wedding Soup up, toss in some small pasta like acini di pepe or orzo.
- Extra Lemon: Don’t skip the lemon juice at the end, it makes the whole soup pop.
- Freezer Friendly: This Italian Wedding Soup freezes beautifully. Just leave out the egg and Parmesan mixture, then add that fresh when reheating.
- Greens Swap: Kale holds up best, but baby spinach works great for a softer texture.
FAQ's
Can I use a different protein for the meatballs in Italian Wedding Soup?
Yes! Ground turkey or pork both work perfectly.
Do I have to add the egg and Parmesan mixture to Italian Wedding Soup?
It’s optional, but it gives the soup a silky texture and richer flavor, so I highly recommend it.
Can I make Italian Wedding Soup vegetarian?
Absolutely. Skip the meatballs and use veggie stock, then double up on the beans for protein.
How do I store leftover Italian Wedding Soup?
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ½ pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium preferred)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ bunch curly kale, stems discarded and greens torn into bite size pieces, about 4 cups
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan, plus extra parmesan for serving
- 1 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Mix until just combined, then form into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear the meatballs on all sides until golden brown, about 4–6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 3–5 minutes until fragrant and translucent.
- Pour in the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add the kale and cook for 3 minutes until wilted.
- Add the meatballs and cannellini beans to the pot and simmer for 8 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and Parmesan. Slowly drizzle the mixture into the simmering soup while stirring gently to create silky strands.
- Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot with extra Parmesan on top.
Notes
- Make Ahead: The meatballs can be made and seared up to two days ahead. Store them in the fridge and add to the soup when you’re ready.
- Add Pasta: If you want to bulk the Italian Wedding Soup up, toss in some small pasta like acini di pepe or orzo.
- Extra Lemon: Don’t skip the lemon juice at the end, it makes the whole soup pop.
- Freezer Friendly: This Italian Wedding Soup freezes beautifully. Just leave out the egg and Parmesan mixture, then add that fresh when reheating.
- Greens Swap: Kale holds up best, but baby spinach works great for a softer texture.
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling + Recipe by Adam Pearson
Just made this soup and it is AMAZING!! I read through the comments in advance, and I'm so glad I did! I tempered the eggs before adding them in, and they didn't scramble - worked out great making the soup super creamy and delicious! I also subbed spinach in for the kale as I have hypothyroidism, so I try not to have too many cruciferous vegetables. I doubled the meatball recipe and set some aside just to have with other meals - they're SO GOOD!! This definitely took me longer than 35mins to make, but it was well worth it. I'll be making this a staple for the colder winter months!
I cannot urge you enough to make this soup immediately!! It’s delicious! My family of 5 (3 which are 10 and under) loved it and all ate multiple bowls.
This was GREAT! Loved by old and young. I made mini meatballs and added carrots to cater to a toddler. I doubled the recipe and am so glad I did! I didn't use all of the broth called for; I think it was closer to 12 cups because that is all that would fit in my dutch oven, but I worked well with that amount.
Thank you!
This soup is light, refreshing, and seriously delicious. I almost ate the meatballs on their own before adding them to the soup. It's nice that it doesn't include cream, since I don't always have it on hand.
Can I use turkey meat??? I love this recipe it was soo good but I have extra turkey meat lol
absolutely
Making this tonight! Looks wonderful.
I doubled the meatball recipe and froze half to have on hand when I wanted to make the soup again. Very tasty.
This was AMAZING and the perfect recipe for a chilly, quarantined day. Only thing I'd change is tempering the egg/parm with some stock so it doesn't scramble once you add to the soup (this was probably my fault, but how I plan to avoid the mistake in the future). That said, my slightly scrambled parm eggs tasted just fine going down! Thank you 🙂
Any recommendation to replace the kale? I'm afraid we're not kale lovers in our home. Spinach maybe? Thanks.
spinach or chard!
This soup is amazing, even more so the next day. I used 1lb ground chicken and doubled the beans and a few other ingredients by preference. Amazing! Having my gallbladder removed in a few weeks and I plan to live off this soup!
This soup was amazing - I swear the leftovers were even better. I think the meatballs are my favorite. I doubled the meatball recipe and froze half of them and am looking forward to using them in another meal. The only substitutions I made was ground turkey and spinach instead of kale. I think I need to temper my egg next time, it looked a bit like a scrambled egg in my soup. I didn't care, though, because it tastes AMAZING! Thanks for the great recipe!
Delicious! Def took me much longer than 35 minutes - but I doubled the recipe and chose to make my own breadcrumbs. Since I had my broiler on to toast the bread to make the breadcrumbs, I decided to broil the meatballs too. I broiled the meatballs for about a total of 5 minutes. (And they are delicious on their own, btw). The good thing about doubling was that it used the entire bag of kale I got from Trader Joe's (even after removing the stems, I still had plenty) as well as using the entire can of beans.
My husband and I really enjoyed this soup. I feel like it took longer than 35 min total, but glad I have leftovers for tomorrow night!
If I was going to skip pan searing them and finish cooking them in the liquid, at what temp and for how long would I bake them?
haven't tested them that way!!
It looks like this is missing eggs from ingredient list for meatballs? I see it in bottom but not on top list.
hmmmm there's an egg in the meatball ingredient list and in the soup ingredient list!
Good grief, I see it now. My apologies!