This updated take on a classic Italian Wedding Soup combines beautifully tender meatballs with veggies, rich broth and couscous for a meal the whole family will love!
The Origins of Italian Wedding Soup
Despite all my years of loving Italian Wedding Soup, it was only very recently that I discovered it isn't something that is actually eaten at Italian weddings.
The "wedding" part of the soup title actually refers to the combination or marriage of the meats and greens. Which, I'm sure we can all agree, is a match made in heaven.
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Large Plate
- Dutch oven or heavy deep pot with a lid: I love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven and use it all the time.
- Slotted metal spoon: I actually have 3 of these Oxo Stainless Steel Slotted Spoons in my kitchen. They're fantastic!
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- Ground Beef
- Ground Pork
- Egg
- Italian Style Breadcrumbs: I typically use Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs. If you can't find any feel free to mix one tsp of Italian seasoning with plain breadcrumbs.
- Onion: I usually use yellow onion but white works as well.
- Fresh garlic: I highly recommend using fresh garlic. I know those tubs of preminced garlic are so tempting but they just don't have the same flavor you get from fresh.
- Dried herbs: You will need oregano, parsley and thyme for this recipe.
- Salt & Pepper
For the Soup
- Olive oil
- Celery
- Carrots
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Chicken broth: Chicken stock or homemade bone broth will also work.
- Dry pearl couscous: Make sure to buy Pearl Couscous, not the tiny couscous you often find in salads. If you can't find any you also substitute with orzo.
- Kale or baby kale
- Lemon
- Salt & Pepper
Tips and Tricks for a fabulous Italian Wedding Soup
There are a couple tricks in this recipe that make this particular take on Italian Wedding Soup truly something special.
Firstly, the addition of minced onion in the meatballs makes them both tender and aromatic. Make sure you really mince it well so it intersperses in the meat mixture.
Secondly, be sure not to skip the step of searing the meatballs before adding them to the soup. This gives the veggies a rich depth of flavor you wouldn't otherwise achieve.
And thirdly, is the addition of lemon juice at the end. This gives it a nice acidity that really brightens up the flavors.
This soup is perfect for a chilly fall or winter evening with classic flavors that the whole family will love!
Made this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Italian Wedding Soup
This updated take on a classic Italian Wedding Soup combines beautifully tender meatballs with veggies, rich broth and couscous for a meal the whole family will love.
20
minutes30
minutesIngredients
- For the meatballs
½ lb ½ ground beef
½ lb ½ ground pork
1 1 egg
½ cup ½ bread crumbs, Italian style
½ cup ½ parmesan cheese, grated
¼th cup ¼th onion, finely minced
2 cloves 2 garlic, crushed
½ tsp ½ salt
¼ tsp ¼ black pepper
1 tsp 1 dried oregano
1 tsp 1 dried parsley
½ tsp ½ dried thyme
- For the soup
2 tbsp 2 olive oil
3 stalks 3 celery, diced
3 3 carrots, diced
1 medium 1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves 3-4 garlic, crushed
1 tbsp 1 Italian seasoning
8 cups 8 chicken broth or stock, or bone broth
1 cup 1 dry pearl couscous (can also substitute with orzo)
2 cups 2 chopped kale
juice of ½ small lemon
salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Gently mix with your hands until combined, being careful not to overwork.
- Using your hands, roll the meat mixture into about 1 inch balls. Place the meatballs on a plate and set aside.
- Add about 2 tbsp olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven or heavy pot with lid. Heat over medium high until the oil is hot and shimmering.
- Once the oil is hot, add the meatballs to the pot, being careful not to over crowd. (This will probably take 2 batches.)
Sear over medium high heat for about 1 minute, then flip the meatballs to the other side and sear for an additional one minute until golden brown. (*Note* Meatballs do not need to be fully cooked at this time).
Place the browned meatballs on a plate and set aside. Repeat the process until all of the meatballs have been browned. - In the same pot you seared the meatballs in add in your onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until veggies are soft.
- Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the veggies and cook for about 30 more seconds. Then stream in chicken broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Carefully add meatballs bakes into the pot and bring the soup to a simmer over medium-high to high heat.
Once the soup has reached a simmer turn the heat down to low. Add in 1 cup of pearl couscous and cover with a lid. Simmer the soup covered over low heat for approximately 15 minutes until couscous is tender and meatballs are cooked through. - Turn the heat off and remove the lid. Stir in 2 cups of chopped kale and taste for seasoning. Add any additional salt or pepper to taste. Squeeze ½ lemon juice into the pot and remove from the burner.
Serve piping hot. Enjoy!
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Yum! This Italian Wedding Soup looks super delicious!
Prep time 7 minutes? Lol. Ah No. I started at 3pm. It's after 5pm and I'm finally in the final simmering stage. Come on!
Hi Sharon - thanks for your feedback! I agree that 7 minutes was probably too short for prep time. Perhaps I'm just a very fast meatball roller, haha. My husband recently cooked this recipe on an episode of "Cooking with Tom" on instagram and it definitely took him closer to 20 minutes to get everything ready before cooking. I will adjust the prep time in the recipe. I appreciate your comment and hope you enjoyed the soup. 🙂
I've made this 3x now and it came out amazing each time. I tried it with homemade meatballs per the recipe & using frozen store bought when pressed for time. My husband & I love it & our toddler. It's a keeper!
Really yummy and easy to make. Needed a lot of extra seasoning and I added an extra cup of couscous because my family really enjoys the pasta. Served with a little bit of bread and it was the perfect Sunday evening meal. Very filling too! Would make again.