Italian Wedding Soup

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.

Aneto broths are available on Amazon and in stores across the United States.  Click here for a store locator.

Once you’ve tried this soup you’ll be hooked.  It’s so flavorful, comforting and wonderfully nourishing.  You can make the meatballs far in advance and freeze them so you can conveniently have them on hand when the soup craving hits you.  With the meatballs already made the rest of the soup only takes 15 minutes to make!

What Kind of Pasta Do I Need For Italian Wedding Soup?