Italian Wedding Soup—the Marriage Between Vegetables and Meat

The Italian mother of one of my daughter’s friends is known for making delicious Italian Wedding Soup. Whenever Audrey made her infamous recipe, my daughter was there. Now, silly me, I thought this must be a traditional dish served at Italian weddings.

In Italy, Italian wedding soup is known as minestra maritata, which translates to "married soup". When I shared this with my husband, he blurted out: “Who does soup marry? Souperman?” That’s my husband’s sense of humor.

This delicious soup is called “married soup” because its robust flavor comes from the blending or marriage of ingredients like bitter greens and meat cooked in a rich broth. Italian Wedding Soup” is the American version of minestra maritata. as in green vegetables (minestra) blend well with meat (maritata). Italian Wedding Soup is the marriage between vegetables and meat. This delicious soup, although not traditionally served at weddings, is often on the menu for Italian Easter, Christmas, and Saint Silvester (New Year’s Eve) feasts.

There are as many recipes for Italian wedding soup as there are cooks, but typically recipes include pasta, meatballs, and a dark green vegetable like escarole, spinach, chicory, kale, cabbage, and borage.

Since my daughter developed such a fondness for this dish, I had to perfect it. I just can’t have one of my children preferring someone else’s recipe over mine. Following is my version of “married soup” using spinach and meatballs made from ground beef and pork. If you make this recipe, I think you will agree that the marriage of vegetables and meat is delicious.

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 6

For the meatballs:

½ cup Italian or Panko breadcrumbs

½ cup Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon large grind black pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

Olive oil for oiling hands and frying

In a medium bowl, place breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add lightly beaten egg and stir to combine. Add ground

beef and pork. Using your hands mix gently but thoroughly so that the breadcrumb mixture is evenly distributed in the ground meats.

Coat your hands with olive oil. Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture into a 1-inch ball. Repeat this process until all the mixture is rolled into balls. Transfer balls to a sheet pan. This should yield about 3 to 4 dozen meatballs.

In a large, non-stick skillet, place 2 tablespoons olive oil over a medium-high heat. When oil sizzles, add half of the meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally to brown on 2 to 3 sides, about 4 minutes total. Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat this process with the remaining meatballs. Set meatballs aside.

Note: Meatballs do not need to be cooked through. They will continue cooking in the soup.

For the soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups carrots, chopped, about 2 to 3 carrots

1 ½ cups celery, chopped, about 2 to 3 stalks

2 cups yellow onion, chopped, about 1 large onion

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

8 cups chicken broth

Reserved meatballs

1 cup acini di pepe, orzo, pastina, or ditalini

2 to 3 cups tightly packed baby spinach

In a large kettle, place olive oil. When oil sizzles, add carrots, celery, and onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and continue sautéing until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute more, stirring frequently.

Add chicken broth and meatballs to the pot and bring to a gentle boil over a medium-high heat. When broth is at a gentle boil, add pasta. Lower the heat and continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through.

Turn off the heat and add spinach, stirring frequently, until spinach is wilted.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Tips on selecting spinach: Spinach should be deep green in color with crisp, perky leaves. Do not buy spinach if it has yellow or broken leaves. Shop with your nose. If you smell an unpleasant odor, pass. If you are buying bagged spinach, inspect the bag carefully. Spinach deteriorates quickly. Also, check the “Best if Used by Date” to be sure it hasn’t past its freshness date.

Tips on storing spinach: Place in reusable, paper, or plastic bags and store for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Tips on storing ground meats: Ground beef and pork will keep for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Tips on selecting ground beef: Ground beef with higher fat content will yield juicier grilled burgers and meatballs.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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