This easy Italian Wedding Soup recipe is cooked in only a few minutes using the Instant Pot. Not only is this soup delicious, but it is also low in calories and freezes great for meal planning and leftovers.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Surprisingly, I don’t find this soup nearly enough on Italian menus in my area. If you enjoy visiting Disneyland you can find Italian Wedding Soup at the Wine Trattoria which I enjoy on every visit. I started making this soup at home in large batches because it’s so incredibly easy to make and also freezes very well.
Why is it called Italian Wedding Soup?
The name Italian Wedding Soup is actually named “minestra maritata” which means married soup and refers to a marriage of flavors between meat and vegetables.
Ingredients
First, to make the meatballs you will need the ingredients below. I often like to double my recipe and make extra meatballs for spaghetti later in the week. This recipe is very similar to my regular Italian Meatball Recipe except that for these meatballs we use half pork and parsley instead of basil.
Meatballs
- 1lb ground meat
- 1lb ground pork
- egg
- parmesan cheese
- breadcrumbs
- 2% milk
- fresh oregano & parsley
- garlic powder, salt, pepper
Next, for the soup, you’ll need the other ingredients below. I prefer to use Tuscan kale over spinach because I enjoy the texture more, but you can substitute spinach if you’d like. I also purchased an Aerogarden during quarantine. It was my impulse purchase which actually turned out to be a great investment. In about a month I had zip lock bags full of fresh herbs and Tuscan Kale to store in my freezer. The Kale used in this recipe came from my aerogarden at home.
I also omitted celery because I am not a fan, but if you enjoy celery you can feel free to add 1/2 cup of diced celery.
Soup
- chicken broth or vegetable broth
- carrots
- Tuscan kale
- onions & garlic
- salt & pepper
Instant Pot Instructions
You’ll begin by first soaking the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 5 minutes. This is a secret of making moist and tender meatballs. Then add all of the meatball ingredients into a bowl. Mix all the ingredients very well with your hands. The more you mix your meat, the more tender it will be.
Once your meat is well mixed, measure a heaping 1tsp of meat into your hand and roll onto a ball. Once finished you can brown the meat which is optional. You do not need to brown the meat for this recipe. If you are in a rush you can completely skip this step.
Also for the instant pot, it is better to use the nonstick insert to keep your meat from sticking. If you own an Instant Pot, I highly recommend ordering the nonstick ceramic insert.
If you’ve browned your meatballs you will remove them from the pan. If not, then add the onions, garlic, carrots, and optional celery. Saute for 2-3 minutes and then add your chicken broth, salt, pepper. Stir well and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Then add your meatballs and pressure cook on high for only 6 minutes.
Once finished, quick release and then turn your instant pot on Saute (high heat) and add your pasta and kale. Let continue to simmer on the highest warm setting for another 10 minutes until the pasta is finished cooking.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve this easy Italian Wedding Soup with a little parmesan cheese. You can also sprinkle some chopped parsley.
Additional Healthy Soup Recipes
If you are looking for more delicious & healthy recipe soup recipes be sure to visit our Soup Recipes Section. Here are some additional soups you might enjoy.
Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
EQUIPMENT
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ½ lb ground sirloin lean
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ cup breadcrumbs panko
- ¼ cup 2% milk
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 whole egg
- ¼ cup parsley fresh chopped
- ¼ cup oregano fresh chopped
- 1 tsp salt pink himalayan
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Soup Ingredients
- 64 oz chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup pasta Acini de Pepe, can sub other small pasta
- ½ cup onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic fresh
- ½ cup carrots diced
- 1 cup Tuscan kale
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt pink himalayan
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- First you want to add all of the meatball ingredients to a bowl and blend well. Be sure to soak your breadcrumbs in the milk before adding them to your bowl.
- Next, using a teaspoon, scoop your meat and form into small meatballs. Then you can set your Instant Pot to saute mode on (more) and brown your meatballs. This step is completely optional. If you brown your meatballs, remove them once they are browned and add your onions, garlic, and carrots. If you do not brown your meatballs, add 1 tbsp of oil and then add your onions, garlic, and carrots. You can also optionally add 1/2 cup of celery. Saute for about 2-3 minutes.
- Then add your chicken broth, salt, & pepper. If you browned your meat be sure to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Then add your meatballs and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
- Once finished quick release and set your Instant Pot to "Warm" on the high setting. Add your pasta and kale continuing to cook on the warm setting for an additional 10 minutes until your pasta is cooked.