Italian Wedding Soup

Nourishing Italian wedding soup with protein-packed chicken meatballs, lots of beautiful vegetables, and tender pearl couscous. This classic Italian wedding soup recipe is easy to make for the perfect weekday lunch or dinner the whole family will love!

Course Dinner, Lunch, Nut Free, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword italian wedding soup

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 570cal

Author Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

For the meatballs
1 pound ground chicken (or turkey)
1 large egg
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (or sub parmesan cheese) (about 1.5 ounces)
⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs, gluten free if desired
3 tablespoon fresh finely chopped parsley
3 tablespoons fresh finely chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
For the soup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup pearl couscous (or sub a short pasta such as orzo or ditalini)
4 cups fresh spinach or kale, chopped
For serving
Extra freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
Fresh chopped parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the meatballs: In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, parmigiano reggiano (or parm), breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Use clean hands to mix until well combined, but avoid over mixing the meatballs or they will become tough. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of a marble; 40 to 50 meatballs total. Tip: Dip your hands in a bowl of water between each meatball to prevent sticking and to create nice round balls – trust me, it helps!
In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the meatballs in batches, spacing meatballs about ½ inch apart and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Use a spoon or tongs to carefully transfer meatballs to a plate and set aside. Add more oil, if necessary, between batches, and repeat with the remaining meatballs. Meatballs will finish cooking in the soup, so do not worry if they aren’t fully cooked.
Make the soup: In the same pot, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add in the onions and carrots and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Next, stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt, and sauté, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and pearl couscous and stir until well-combined. Use a large spoon to gently drop in a few meatballs at a time until they are all in the pot. Bring the broth to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes. During the last few minutes of cooking, stir in the chopped spinach and cook until wilted, then remove soup from the heat.
Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed, then ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano and a little fresh chopped parsley. Serve warm with crusty bread or toasted bread for dipping.
To store: Let the soup cool completely, then store it in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

To make vegetarian: omit the meatballs and add a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas instead. Then, be sure to use low-sodium vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.

To make gluten-free: use your favorite gluten-free pasta shape, or even rice! Then be sure to use gluten-free panko bread crumbs as well.

Nutrition