Italian Wedding Soup
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Nutritious and delicious, simple and quick to make, you’ll understand why Italian Wedding Soup has been an Italian-American classic for so many generations!
Served at every Italian-American wedding across the nation, Italian Wedding Soup is something no self-respecting Italian-American couple would ever think of getting married without it.
Okay, that’s not true. In fact, this soup has absolutely nothing to do with weddings.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s superbly delicious. Nor should you let it stop you from serving it at your wedding should you feel so inclined.
So then why the name “Italian Wedding Soup”?
Where Did Italian Wedding Soup Originate?
The term “wedding” soup comes from the Italian minestra maritata, “married soup”, referring to the flavor produced by the “marriage” or perfect blending of greens, broth and meat.
This soup enjoys a long, rich heritage, though very different from the Italian Wedding Soup we know today. Its origin isn’t clear but it’s thought to date back to ancient Rome and then made its way to Toledo Spain, a gorgeous city we visited last Summer (image below). The soup’s Spanish ancestor was a heavier one, incorporating a variety of meats that were slow-simmered with vegetables and without the addition of pasta (an expensive commodity at that time).
From Spain the soup was introduced to Naples, Italy (second image below) where they too used any combination of meats such as beef, pork, ribs, sausages and ham hocks to create a rich meat broth The Neapolitans made it their own with the addition of ancient greens like torzella, escarole, puntarelle, chicory and savoy cabbage. Just as it was in Spain, the minestra maritata was a peasant soup using whatever leftover meats and wild greens they had on hand.
The soup eventually made its way from Naples to America via Italian immigrants who replaced the long-simmered cuts of meat with meatballs and used onions, generally one type of leafy green vegetable and added pasta. And it came to be called “Italian Wedding Soup.”
The earliest known reference to “wedding soup” in American print is an article in the Los Angeles Times from 1925 written by Joseph Musso of Hollywood’s oldest restaurant, The Musso & Frank Grill, wherein he described the process of making Wedding Soup. It has since remained perhaps the most iconic Italian-American soup and can be found in nearly every Italian restaurant across the nation.
This soup’s Italian and Spanish ancestors used the process of low- and slow-simmering meats to achieve a great broth as the base of their soups. In this Italian-American version of using meatballs that step isn’t possible. You would have to make a separate batch of broth using whole bone-in chicken and vegetables. And using high quality broth is really the key to a great Italian Wedding Soup.
I definitely don’t always have several hours to make my own chicken broth every time I need it as the base for a soup. And one of things I love about Italian Wedding Soup, besides its exquisite flavor, is how otherwise quick and easy it is to make. So for this special soup I’m enlisting the help of my favorite broth from ANETO.
Aneto is the most unique broth manufacturer in the world because they make broth the way you make it at home: Using fresh vegetables, whole chicken – nothing else – and then slow-simmering it for hours for maximum flavor and nutrition. Based outside of Barcelona, we toured their factory a few years ago and it was such an inspiring experience.
Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl or food processor and knead with your hands or pulse with the food processor until thoroughly combined.
Form the mixture into tiny meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter and place them on a platter or cookie sheet. Wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready to use.
In a medium stock pot, heat the oil and cook the onions and garlic until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil.
Which Pasta is Best for Italian Wedding Soup?
Enjoy!
For more delicious soups be sure to try our:
- Minestrone Soup
- Curried Lentil Soup
- Caldo Verde
- Zuppa Toscana
- Ham and Bean Soup
- Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Harira
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- New England Clam Chowder
- German Potato Soup
- French Lentil Soup
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Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground meat beef, pork, chicken or turkey or a combination of them combined with some sausage
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs preferably fresh
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the Soup:
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 cups quality chicken broth (I use and love ANETO)
- 1 cup acini di pepe or other tiny pasta
- 1 large bunch leafy greens roughly chopped (e.g., kale, escarole, curly endive, spinach)
- Freshly grated Parmesan for serving
- Red pepper flakes for serving optional
Instructions
- Place all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl or food processor and knead with your hands or pulse with the food processor until thoroughly combined. Form the mixture into tiny meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter and place them on a platter or cookie sheet. Wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready to use.
- In a medium stock pot, heat the oil and cook the onions and garlic until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Gently drop the meatballs into the soup followed by the pasta. Let the meatballs and pasta simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the leafy greens and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Dish up the soup and serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- Optional (a tradition in some circles): At very end, once the greens are wilted, whisk 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese together with 1 large egg. Stir the broth to get it moving and gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the broth, stirring it gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg.
Notes
*The longer the soup sits the more liquid the pasta will absorb, so if eating leftovers add more chicken broth.
Nutrition
First published on The Daring Gourmet on Jan 16, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
We loved this soup! Thank you for this wonderful recipe and blog post, I really enjoyed the historical background. Thanks also for the information about Aneto, very inspiring.
Thanks so much, Natalie, I’m glad you enjoyed it! :)
Phenomenal. Made the recipe exactly as written and picked up a 12-pack of Aneto chicken broth on Amazon (pricey but worth it). Probably the best Italian Wedding Soup I’ve had. Will be making this again.
Terrific, thanks so much, Erik!
I doubled the recipe for the meatballs so I could freeze some. I also made them a little larger. How many should I put in the soup?
It’s purely personal preference but the recipe calls for one pound worth of meatballs.
Absolutely delicious!! This will become a regular in our home, thank you!
Fantastic, Candace, I’m so glad you enjoyed it – thank you!
Kimberly, I just wanted to let you know that I finally made this soup and oh my goodness, it was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I even used Aneto’s chicken broth to make it, I found it at The Spanish Table. Everything you wrote about it is true, it’s a wonderful broth. THANK YOU for this recipe, for bringing back memories of my grandmother’s soup from my childhood.
I found this doing a google search for a recipe and am so glad I found your site. This soup was WONDERFUL!! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks so much, Teresa, and welcome!
Absolutely deeeeelicious!! Thank you for such a wonderful post and terrific recipe!
Thank YOU, Tanya, so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Excellent! ThAnk you!
Such a fantastic looking bowl of soup – bursting with comfort and flavor!
I can’t believe I have never tried this soup. Especially since I love all of the ingredients! Will be trying soon!
Italian Wedding Soup has to be one of my all time favorites. Your photos are making me so jealous!
Thanks, Brandy! :)
What İ like when visiting your page is İ’am not just get deliciıous recipe, but you also provide the food with the story and the history. thx for sharing.
Thanks so much, Citra!
Thanks for the history lesson – I never knew why it was called wedding soup! I’d love to try this recipe!
That broth looks amazing…and that soup….I can see why Italians (and everyone else too) loves it.
I think it’s one of those soups most anyone would love, Sandi!
I love this, especially the cultural side of it!
Thanks, Michelle!