This easy to make Italian Wedding Soup recipe is full of the simple, delicious flavors of healthy greens, vegetables and turkey meatballs in a light broth. If you are looking for comfort food that is lighter and healthier, this recipe is for you!

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
Do you have some recipes you make time and time again? Today’s Italian Wedding Soup is one such recipe, and old favorite recipe I am updating.
Since it has been so cold and snowy in Cleveland I have soups on rotation at my house.
If it is cold where you live this is a nice comforting bowl of soup that is both healthy and filling.
I make turkey meatballs and pair them in a light broth with healthy greens, vegetables and a small pasta.
You might be thinking this isn’t the traditional Italian Wedding Soup you see in many restaurants, and you are right. I like to change things up a bit and that’s what I did with this recipe.
If, like me, you love the flavors of Italy, then try my Homemade Minestrone, Spring Vegetable Minestrone, Tuscan Bean Soup, or my Tortellini Sausage Soup recipes.
If you are a soup lover you have to check out my soup section on the blog and add some to your menu.

Why You Will Love This Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Full of Flavor: The vegetable soup base is packed with flavor and the addition to the turkey meatballs take it to another level.
Double the Recipe: This recipe is easily doubled up if you are feeding a larger group of diners.
Meal Prep: I love to batch cook and each week I pick two recipes and make a big batch on Sunday. This allows me to freeze half and then use the remaining for lunches and dinners through the week.
Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil – I always use olive oil when sautéing vegetables as it has the best nutty flavor. However, substitute with any light flavored oil like vegetable, sunflower or avocado.
- Base flavors – I sauté sweet onion, garlic and carrots which are great base flavors for any soup.
- Broth – I use a good quality chicken broth in this soup recipe, you could also use vegetable broth.
- Herbs – I use a teaspoon of oregano to flavor the soup.
- Tomatoes – I use a can of diced tomatoes to flavor the soup.
- Greens – I add a head of escarole (1 pound total) trimmed and coarsely chopped in the soup. You can substitute with other greens like chard, spinach or kale.
- Pasta – I recommend using acini de pepe pasta or another small pasta shape.
- Cheese – I garnish the dish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Turkey Meatball Ingredients
- Turkey – I use a pound of ground turkey which easily serves 6 diners.
- Egg – I use a large egg, lightly beaten, to add moisture and help hold the meatballs together.
- Breadcrumbs – I use plain dried breadcrumbs in the meatballs.
- Cheese – I like to flavor the meatballs with some grated Parmesan cheese
- Seasoning – I season the meatballs with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

How To Make This Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
- Prepare the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl combine turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and a dash of salt and pepper. Form the turkey mixture into 1-inch {or a bit smaller} turkey meatballs and set on a plate.
- Sauté the vegetables: In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic, carrots and oregano and continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Simmer the soup: Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and cook without stirring, until meatballs float to surface (about 5 minutes). Add escarole and pasta to the pot and simmer until the escarole is wilted and the pasta is soft making sure the meatballs are cooked through (the meatballs took about 12 minutes total to reach 160 degrees F).
- Garnish and serve: Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with warm bread for dipping.
Recipe Modifications For Italian Wedding Soup
Turkey: When making the meatballs you can swap ground turkey for ground beef, ground pork or a combination of beef and pork.
Pasta: I also love small pasta and used acini de pepe for this recipe, or use a different small pasta like orzo pasta.
Greens: For the greens in this soup I like to use escarole but any green would work including chard, spinach or kale.
Vegetables: Feel free to add more vegetables to this soup, try adding some eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, green beans or celery.
Plant based: If you want to leave the meat out you can use vegetable broth and add beans. Try white beans or chickpeas for protein.

Recipe Tips
Meatballs: When making this soup you can choose the size of the meatball but I find that smaller meatballs tend to work best in a soup. Not only do the cook quicker, they are also easier to eat with the broth.
Make ahead: if you want to get ahead, I recommend making the soup earlier in the day or the day before. Then when I am ready to enjoy, I heat up the soup. In fact this soup tastes even better if allowed to sit as the flavors meld together and intensify.
Leftovers: store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up 3 days.
Reheating: to reheat leftovers place into a pot and warm up to piping hot on the stove. Add a splash of water if the soup looks too thick. You can also add some greens or herbs to freshen up the soup.
Freeze the soup: once cooked and cooled, place the soup into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator overnight and warm up on the stove when ready to enjoy.
Freeze the meatballs: When I make this recipe I double the recipe for the turkey meatballs and throw half of them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes (or until the temperature inside the meatball reaches 160 degrees F). I let them cool and put them in a ziplock bag to freeze for later. They are perfect to use throughout the week to throw in a batch of pasta sauce.

What To Serve With Italian Wedding Soup
This is a filling and nutritious bowl of soup, so I like to keep the sides simple, some warm focaccia bread, or crusty bread.
I do like serving simple salads with soup, try my Simple Massaged Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing, Mediterranean Bean Salad, or Lemon Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts.
You can also add a side of potatoes, like these Paprika Roasted Potatoes with Spiced Yogurt Sauce, or my Lemon Cilantro Roasted Potatoes.
Try Some of My Favorite Hearty Soup Recipes
EASY SAUSAGE GNOCCHI SOUP
CHICKEN LENTIL SOUP
MEXICAN CHICKEN LIME SOUP
ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP
CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
CHICKEN POTATO SOUP

Italian Wedding Soup {Lightened Up}
This easy to make Italian Wedding Soup recipe is full of the simple, delicious flavors of healthy greens, vegetables and turkey meatballs in a light broth. If you are looking for comfort food that is lighter and healthier, this is for you!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
- 32 ounces chicken broth
- 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 head of escarole (1 pound total) trimmed and coarsely chopped {you can sub spinach or kale}
- 1 cup acini de pepe pasta or other small pasta
For the turkey meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and a dash of salt and pepper. Form the turkey mixture into 1-inch {or a bit smaller} turkey meatballs and set on a plate.
- In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic, carrots and oregano and continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes.
- Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add the meatballs and cook without stirring, until meatballs float to surface (about 5 minutes). Add escarole and pasta to the pot and simmer until the escarole is wilted and the pasta is soft making sure the meatballs are cooked through (the meatballs took about 12 minutes total to reach 160 degrees).
- Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve with warm bread for dipping.
Notes
- When I make this recipe I double the recipe for the turkey meatballs and throw half of them in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes (or until the temperature inside the meatball reaches 160 degrees). I let them cool and put them in a ziplock bag to freeze for later. They are perfect to use throughout the week to feed my little one or to throw in a batch of pasta sauce.
- I use 1 head of escarole {or a bit less} and chop it up into small pieces. If you can’t find that feel free to use spinach or kale.
- My husband doesn’t always like tomatoes in soup so sometimes I leave that out and do more broth in its place. You can also used fire roasted tomatoes in place of diced.
- If you want to leave the meat out you can use vegetable broth and add beans. Try white beans or chickpeas for protein.
- Feel free to add more vegetables to this soup. I like adding zucchini, bell peppers and celery sometimes.
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Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
Friday 16th of February 2018
You can't eat soups when it's cold. Hubby and I are both soup lovers and we enjoy soups even in the summertime. And having meatballs in the freezer is the way to go. It's just as easy to make a huge batch to save for a later date. Your soup looks delicious and satisfying even though it's light. Have a great weekend.
Julia
Friday 16th of February 2018
I love the idea of adding in frozen meatballs to save time! I do that from time to time. I hope you try the soup--its a favorite of mine.
Samantha Paul
Friday 16th of February 2018
Hey Julia….! I also read your post and I really enjoyed your post, this looks incredible and more delicious. I will try to making this at their cousin wedding. Thanks for sharing healthier recipe….!
Julia
Friday 16th of February 2018
I hope you like it! We love this soup!
2LadiesintheKitchen
Tuesday 29th of January 2013
This is one of my favorite soups, we have never made it from scratch before though, this looks just awesome! :)
A Cedar Spoon
Tuesday 29th of January 2013
It is a good one and really easy to make! I liked that you can make the extra meatballs and freeze those for later.
Jessica
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
I am so glad you posted this recipe! It was DELICIOUS and yes I did eat two bowls everyone! The flavor was amazing!
I'm so glad you wrote about Mariano's too - We are actually getting one out in the western suburbs - so excited!!
A Cedar Spoon
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
You were my taste tester! So glad you liked it! Next I need to make you my Minestrone and see if it lives up to your "Italian" standards!! Can't wait for the blog to go live! :)
petit4chocolatier
Saturday 19th of January 2013
This looks incredibly warm and delicious! How nice to have free cooking lessons!
A Cedar Spoon
Saturday 19th of January 2013
It was nice to have free cooking lessons--they do one per month so there is always a chance to learn something new.