Easy Italian Wedding Soup
An easy recipe for classic Italian wedding soup. This recipe pairs tasty, traditional Italian meatballs with chopped vegetables & orzo pasta for a cozy, satisfying bowl of soup!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
To Make the Meatballs:
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup bread crumbs I used whole wheat
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
To Make The Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup orzo pasta or acini de pepe
- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
- In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the meatballs. Form balls that are about 1” in width and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until cooked through.
- Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir for 6 - 8 minutes, until tender.
- Pour in the broth into the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for as long as directed on the package (usually 9 - 10 minutes). Pasta should be cooked al dente (still slightly firm in the middle). Taste and season the soup with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Turn the heat to low and add the spinach and cooked meatballs. Simmer for 3 - 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Serve warm, optionally topped with parmesan and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Pasta: you can substitute any small pasta (ditalini is another popular alternative)
- Meatballs: to save time, you can use frozen meatballs. Cook them before adding them to your soup.