Italian Wedding Soup
In this recipe for Italian wedding soup you’ll find the elements people know and love about this popular dish: meatballs, pasta, fresh or frozen spinach and, of course, Parmigiano Reggiano® cheese. An unconventional but delightful touch is the lemon zest in the meatballs which keeps the flavor of Italian wedding soup light and refreshing! Italian wedding soup is very versatile; it can be served as a first course for elegant events or as a weekend lunch with crusty bread or Parmesan Breadsticks.

You can make this Italian wedding soup recipe in very little time if you have cans of chicken broth in your pantry and frozen meatballs and frozen spinach in your freezer. And for an Italian wedding soup your children will love, use alphabet pasta. Use homemade Parmesan Broth or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Other variations: Instead of fresh spinach, try chopped escarole or Swiss chard (leaves only). Just cook the greens a little longer for a heartier version of this Italian wedding soup recipe.
Servings Prep Time
8people 15minutes
Cook Time
20minutes
Servings Prep Time
8people 15minutes
Cook Time
20minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Mix the lemon zest into the meatball mixture. Roll the meatball mixture into ½-inch balls. Heat 2 cups of broth in a saucepan and poach the meatballs in the simmering broth until cooked through about 10 minutes. Do not let the broth boil rapidly or the meatballs will get tough.
  2. Put the rest of the broth in a soup pot, bring to a boil, and add the pasta shapes. Cook until done. Add the meatballs and the stock in which they were cooked, then add the spinach. Cook gently until the spinach is wilted and soft, about 5 minutes more.
  3. Serve the soup in deep plates and pass grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for sprinkling.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
Italian Wedding Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 189 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 23mg 8%
Sodium 258mg 11%
Potassium 125mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 1g
Protein 12g 24%
Vitamin A 3%
Vitamin C 11%
Calcium 37%
Iron 2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.