Mama's Italian Wedding Soup

This tasty soup is brimming with meatballs, pasta, and fresh vegetables. See more

READY IN 45 mins

Mama's Italian Wedding Soup

Read Reviews (433)

"This hearty soup was inspired by a soup I tasted at an Italian wedding. It is sure to please just about everyone! Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top." — Lalena

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls and set aside.
In a large stockpot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in the spinach, pasta, carrot and meatballs. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente, and meatballs are no longer pink inside. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 20 mins
COOK 25 mins
READY IN 45 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

May 11, 2006

I noticed on reviewer commented on how labor intensive it was to make the tiny meatballs. I saw a chef make them by shaping some of the meat into a "rope", cutting the rope into 3/4" segments, and then rolling a bunch of them at once with his hand pressing them against the counter. It was very clever and made quick work of it - hope this helps!

—MUSIC_MINX

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 25, 2012

It would be better if the meatballs were cooked first. Otherwise it makes the soup too greasy.

—Betty

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545 Ratings

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Sep 19, 2003

I replaced the onion with some garlic powder. I also browned the meatballs in a frying pan before putting them in the soup.. It added a great flavor to the meatballs and the soup

—FREDDYNJ

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May 01, 2007

Delicious! I used 1 cup of bread crumbs in the meatballs. I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the pot (that seems to get rid of the "canned broth" smell somehow). I've never made a recipe where meatballs weren't browned first, but I didn't pre-cook them. The soup wasn't greasy and the meatballs weren't too anemic loooking. I used my small cookie scoop for the meatballs and it was easy and quick! I used orzo pasta and precooked it and added it to the soup right at the end to avoid having it absorb all the broth. The best thing was that my husband was pretty sure he was not going to like this soup and after he tried it, he liked it a lot.

—chellebelle

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Oct 06, 2006

Yummy! I was initially skeptical because I though the broth might lack flavour. It was really good! I only had 1/2 chicken broth and the other half vegetable. Omitted the onion because I had none. Still delicious. My tip is to drop the meatballs into the soup slowly, going around the pot so they don't all sit on top of each other. The meatballs will rise to the top as they cook. Once most of the meatballs have risen (about 4 minutes), then stir gently. Don't stir when you initially put the meatballs in. Great recipe Lalena. Thanks so much!

—GOLFERSWIFE

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Jan 20, 2008

Very Good! Everyone in the family loved this soup. I used 80% lean beef instead of the extra lean. I decided to bake the meatballs @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes on a broiler pan to drain some of the extra fat. I did double the breadcrumbs on the meatballs - a personal preference. I just dumped the meatballs into the soup mixture for the last 5 minutes of cooking. I doubled the pasta to make it a thicker soup and added a dash of garlic powder to the broth. When served with parmesean on top it was awesome.

—RAISIN1

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Aug 08, 2003

We absolutely loved this! I added a little garlic powder when making the meatballs and used frozen chopped spinach. It's a meal in one bowl--just add some bread.

—MAMBROSIO

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Aug 08, 2003

This is an excellent soup. I tried this once in an Italian restaurant and loved it and this was just as good if not better. I used Orzo pasta, nice and small, and added 1 clove of garlic to meatballs. Quick, easy and delicious meal. Definitely 5 stars.

—250607

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Nutrition

Calories
169 kcal
8%

Carbohydrates
12.7 g
4%

Cholesterol
76 mg
25%

Fat
6.9 g
11%

Fiber
1 g
4%

Protein
13.1 g
26%

Sodium
1045 mg
42%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Mama's Italian Wedding Soup

Serving Size: 1/10 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 10
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 169
Calories from Fat: 62

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6.9g 11 %
Saturated Fat 2.4g 12 %
Cholesterol 76mg 25 %
Sodium 1045mg 42 %
** Potassium 220mg 6 %
Total Carbohydrates 12.7g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 1g 4 %
Protein 13.1g 26 %
Sugars 2.2g
Vitamin A 45 %
Vitamin C 4 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 17 %
** Thiamin 6 %
** Niacin 36 %
** Vitamin B6 10 %
** Magnesium 8 %
** Folate 26 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.