Chicken
$1.80per plate
Prep
20 min
Soup · Meatball Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is small beef meatballs, carrots, celery, and wilted spinach simmered in a light broth with a spoonful of small pasta, and it feeds six for about a dollar forty a bowl. The meatballs cook directly in the simmering broth instead of being browned first, which keeps this to one pot and about 45 minutes start to finish. This is a broth-forward soup, not a cream soup: the small meatballs and greens stay distinct in every spoonful instead of blending into a puree. For another meatball dinner, try our baked meatballs, or browse the rest of our cheap soup recipes, all priced before you cook.
$1.42per plate
Estimated recipe total
$8.54 · serves 6
Cook
25 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/italian-wedding-soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Mixing bowl
Variations
- Use ground turkey or a beef-and-pork blend instead of all beef for the meatballs.
- Swap in escarole or kale for the spinach; simmer it a minute or two longer since it is sturdier.
- Use orzo or tiny star pasta (stelline) in place of ditalini.
- Brown the meatballs in a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes before adding them to the broth for a little extra depth.
1 How to make it
1
Mix and roll the meatballs
In a bowl, mix the ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, Parmesan, 2 cloves minced garlic, and the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper just until combined; overmixing makes the meatballs dense. Roll into small, 3/4-inch meatballs, about the size of a large marble - you should get around 30. Small meatballs are what make this wedding soup instead of a meatball soup; do not roll them larger, or they take much longer to cook through and crowd out the broth, vegetables, and greens.
2
Soften the vegetables
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the remaining 3 cloves of garlic and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
3
Simmer the broth and add the meatballs
Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, then carefully drop in the raw meatballs one at a time. Lower the heat to a steady simmer and cook, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the meatballs float and are cooked through to 165 F. Cooking them directly in the broth instead of browning them first keeps this a one-pot soup and bastes the meatballs in flavor as they cook; do not stir vigorously right after adding them; they hold their shape better once the outside has set.
4
Cook the pasta in the pot
Stir in the small pasta and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, until just tender. A modest half cup of dry pasta is enough to round out the soup without turning it into a pasta dish, and cooking it directly in the broth saves washing a second pot.
5
Wilt the spinach and serve
Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove the bay leaf, taste, and season with more salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls right away; the soup is thinnest and the pasta most tender served fresh.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey or a beef-and-pork blend for the meatballs. Ground turkey makes a lighter meatball; a half-and-half beef and pork blend makes a richer one. Either works the same way and cooks to the same 165 F target.
- Escarole or kale for the spinach. Traditional Italian wedding soup often uses escarole. Roughly chop it and simmer it 2 to 3 minutes instead of 1 to 2, since it is sturdier than spinach and takes a little longer to soften.
- Orzo or tiny stars for the small pasta. Any small pasta shape works. Orzo cooks in about the same time as ditalini; tiny star pasta (stelline) cooks a couple of minutes faster, so start checking it early.
- Brown the meatballs first (optional). Not required, but browning the meatballs in a skillet for 2 to 3 minutes before adding them to the broth builds a little extra flavor through the fond, at the cost of an extra pan to wash.
3 Budget tips
- Three-quarters of a pound of ground beef stretches across six bowls because the vegetables, pasta, and broth do the filling.
- Skipping the browning step saves a skillet and a step without giving up much flavor, since the meatballs simmer directly in the seasoned broth.
- A half cup of dry pasta bulks up the whole pot for about thirty cents, far cheaper than adding more meat.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The pasta keeps drinking up broth as it sits, so the soup thickens; stir in a splash of broth when reheating to loosen it back up.
Freezer
Freezes reasonably well for up to 2 months, though the pasta softens further and the spinach loses some texture after thawing. For better texture from frozen portions, cook the pasta separately and stir it into each bowl fresh instead of into the whole pot.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally, with a splash of broth or water added to loosen the thickened broth.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
235
Protein
14g
Fat
11g
Carbs
16g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Italian wedding soup if there's no wedding?
The name is a mistranslation. The original Italian name, minestra maritata, means "married soup" - it refers to the way the greens and meat marry in flavor when cooked together, not to an actual wedding. There is no traditional connection to Italian wedding celebrations.
Do I need to brown the meatballs first?
No. This recipe drops the raw, small meatballs straight into the simmering broth, which keeps it a genuine one-pot soup. Browning them first in a skillet is an optional extra step for a little more depth of flavor, not a requirement.
How do I know the meatballs are done?
Small, 3/4-inch meatballs simmered in broth are done in 8 to 10 minutes, once they float and reach 165 F internally. Cut one in half to check the first time you make this; there should be no pink left in the center.
Why does the soup thicken so much in the fridge?
The small pasta keeps absorbing broth even after it is fully cooked, so leftovers naturally thicken as they sit. Stir in a splash of broth or water when reheating to bring it back to a spoonable soup.
How is $1.42 a plate figured?
About $8.54 for the whole pot, six bowls, so roughly $1.42 each. The ground beef for the meatballs is the biggest single cost; the vegetables, pasta, and broth add up to just a few dollars combined.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
Feeding a crowd tonight? This one is also part of our Easy Family Dinner Recipes collection.
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