No bouquet required for this cozy bowl of deliciousness! The original name—minestra maritata—means “married soup,”which is a sweet nod to the way the ingredients marry in perfect harmony: savory meatballs, tender greens, slurp-worthy broth, and just the right amount of pasta.

A pot of One-Pot Italian Wedding Soup sits on a plaid towel, with a ladle lifting meatballs, carrots, orzo, spinach, and celery from the savory broth.

Featured Review

This Italian Wedding soup recipe is simply superb…it has become my favorite soup recipe. It is perfect as is!

Jackie
(4.94 stars) 16 ratings
Add your review

I fully support saying “I do” to a bowl, LOL. And aside from being scrumptious, it’s all made in one pot… a simple, streamlined recipe that delivers BIG on cozy.

You can use any small pasta you love. And confession time: I sometimes reach for whole-grain elbows. I know, I know—not traditional… but very real life and very delicious…and it’s what I always have on hand—because Mac & Cheese is on constant rotation in my house!. 

A ladle holds savory One-Pot Italian Wedding Soup above a pot. This soup features meatballs, orzo pasta, spinach, carrots, and celery in a clear broth. The pot rests on a checkered cloth atop a wooden surface.

If you’re ready to keep the spoon swooning, try my  Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo, Superfood Minestrone, Longevity Soup, or my Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup. Fair warning: soup monogamy gets very challenging once you start rotating these!

A bowl of One-Pot Italian Wedding Soup with meatballs, orzo pasta, carrots, celery, spinach, and grated cheese sits on a black-and-white plaid cloth. Fresh parsley is on a wooden board beside the bowl.

Enjoy this soup with my yummy Roasted Butternut Squash & Kale Salad!

A bowl of One-Pot Italian Wedding Soup with meatballs, orzo pasta, carrots, celery, spinach, and grated cheese sits on a black-and-white plaid cloth. Fresh parsley is on a wooden board beside the bowl.
(4.94 stars) 16 ratings

One-Pot Italian Wedding Soup

Savory meatballs, tender greens, cozy broth, and pasta come together in perfect harmony in this easy one-pot recipe. It’s comforting, nourishing, and the kind of bowl you’ll reach for on chilly days when you want something satisfying and simple.
Yield: 15 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Leave a Review

Ingredients
 

Mini meatballs

  • 1 pound ground turkey, 90 to 94% lean
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan
  • ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, optional
  • ⅓ cup “Italian-seasoned” breadcrumbs, preferably whole grain
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional, for slight heat

Soup

  • 3 medium carrots, finely diced (~1 ½ cups)
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped (~1 ½ cups)
  • 3 stalks celery, finely chopped (~¾ cup)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon pre-minced or garlic powder)
  • 9 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup dry acini de pepe or orzo pasta*
  • 2 to 3 handfuls baby spinach leaves, chopped
  • Fresh herbs, dill, parsley, or basil, optional
  • Grated parmesan, optional
Ingredient Details to Know
*You can swap in any small-sized pasta— even whole grain elbows, which I often do.

Instructions
 

For the meatballs:

  • In a mixing bowl, combine the turkey, Parmesan, optional parsley (if using), breadcrumbs, egg, garlic, salt, pepper and optional crushed red pepper flakes. Using your hands, mix ingredients until everything is well combined, being careful not to over-mix or they’ll become too tough.
  • Once combined, gently roll about 30 “mini” meatballs between your two hands, forming fluffy ¾-inch to 1-inch-sized meatballs that are not too tight or compact.
  • Liberally coat a large pot with nonstick olive oil spray (alternatively, you can pour 1 Tbsp oil from bottle) and warm over medium-high heat. Depending on the surface area of your pot, you can either add all the meatballs in at the same time, or do in two batches.
    Let the meatballs cook for 2 minutes undisturbed on one side. Carefully flip them over and cook another 2 minutes to sear the second side. Carefully scrape the bottom of the pan to toss them around for a final minute and try best as you can to sear the remaining sides. (Really scrape the bottom of the pan to flip so they don't break apart.)
  • Transfer meatballs to a plate (they will not be fully cooked, as they’ll finish cooking in the soup).

For the soup:

  • Reapply nonstick oil spray to your pot and warm again over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. If the pan becomes dry, mist additional oil spray. Add in the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
  • Add in the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the meatballs and dry pasta, cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid, add the spinach, and stir until it wilts into the soup (about 1 minute). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve immediately and top with optional parmesan cheese and/or fresh herbs.
Author: Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, CDN

Nutrition Information per serving

Serving Size: 1 cup (with 2 meatballs; adjust math accordingly for larger portions)Calories: 100Carbohydrates: 8gProtein: 11gTotal Fat: 4g— Unsaturated Fat: 2.5g— Saturated Fat: 1.5gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 190mgFiber: 1gTotal Sugar: 1g— Natural Sugar: 1g— Added Sugar: 0g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe! If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!