Italian Wedding Soup with Pastina

5 from 1 vote

Italian Wedding Soup with Pastina

Italian Wedding Soup is a cozy, comforting soup filled with tender homemade meatballs, vegetables, leafy greens, and tiny pasta simmered in a flavorful broth. It’s hearty enough for dinner but still light, fresh, and packed with classic Italian flavor.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Homemade, Italian, Meatballs, Soup, Soup Recipe, The Cooking Mawma

Servings:

Equipment

1 Dutch oven or a Stock Pot

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1 lb ground turkey or pork, or beef
1/2 cup parsley chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp beef bouillon powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil for cooking

For the soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt more to taste
1 tsp pepper
2 carrots peeled and diced
3 celery ribs diced
1/2 yellow or white onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
6 tbsp tomato paste
10 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
Rind of Parmesan Cheese optional
1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
1 1/2 cups pastina or acini de pepe or orzo
2 handfuls of spinach chopped

Instructions

Make the Meatballs (This yields about 32 bite-size meatballs)

Prepare the meatballs. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, parsley, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, beef bouillon, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined.
Shape. Roll the mixture into small, bite-sized meatballs. Tip: Rinse hands under water to avoid the mixture sticking to your hand while rolling.
Brown the meatballs. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven/stock pot over medium heat. Working in batches if needed, cook the meatballs for 1–2 minutes per side, until golden brown. They do not need to be fully cooked at this point—they’ll finish cooking in the soup. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon, set aside and do not drain grease/oil.

Make the Soup

Sauté the vegetables. In the same large Dutch oven/stock pot you cooked the meatballs in, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften.
Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring until it coats the vegetables and deepens slightly in color.
Add the broth. Pour in the chicken broth and add the Parmesan rind, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Cook the meatballs and pasta. Once boiling, add the browned meatballs and pastina. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are completely cooked through.
Add the spinach. Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes, just until wilted.
Serve. Remove the Parmesan rind, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls, top generously with grated Parmesan, and enjoy!

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