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Recipe Snapshot
- Dish: Italian soup with mini turkey meatballs, greens, and pasta
- Servings: 6
- Total Time: About 1 hour
- Main Ingredient: Ground turkey
- Method: Mini meatballs are pre-baked while pasta simmers in seasoned broth along with greens before combining.
- Effort Level: Moderate
A Lighter Take on Italian Wedding Soup
Italian wedding soup is all about balance. It is a “marriage” of fresh greens, meatballs, and broth and this version keeps that idea front and center while lightening things up. We’ve swapped traditional ground pork meatballs for ground turkey, baking them in the oven while prepping the other ingredients. This keeps them tender and helps preserve the clarity of the broth.
We’ve been making this version with turkey meatballs for years and love it for a casual Sunday dinner. While the meatballs take a little time to roll, the soup itself is easy to make, and the end result is well worth the effort. Serve with some crusty bread and a Caesar salad on the side.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
GROUND TURKEY: Though Italian wedding soup is traditionally made with pork, beef, or a combination of the two, we prefer using ground turkey for a lighter result. Ground turkey (or chicken if you prefer) creates small meatballs with a tender, delicate texture that stays juicy without adding extra fat and richness to the broth.
FRESH BREADCRUMBS: Fresh breadcrumbs help the meatballs stay tender and hold their moisture – something that’s especially important with lean proteins like ground turkey. Panko can be substituted, but the meatballs will be slightly firmer and not quite as moist.
ESCAROLE: Escarole is the most traditional green used in Italian wedding soup. It brings a subtle bitterness that balances the savory broth and meatballs. If escarole isn’t available, spinach is a good substitute. It’s milder and wilts quickly, making it a good option if you prefer a softer, less assertive green.
BITE-SIZED PASTA: Small pasta shapes are essential for Italian wedding soup, ensuring you get meatballs, greens, and pasta in every spoonful. Ditalini is our go-to for its size and sturdy texture, but acini de pepe or other tiny soup pastas work just as well.
Prep Overview
How to Make Easy Italian Wedding Soup
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
This Italian wedding soup comes together by baking the meatballs while the soup base simmers. Mixing and rolling the meatballs is the most hands-on part of the process, but keeping them small ensures quick, even cooking. Baking them separately helps maintain a clear broth and gives you more control over texture.
While the meatballs are in the oven, the aromatics (onion, garlic, and carrots) are sautéed to make the flavor base for the broth. Once the broth is simmering, the pasta is cooked directly in the pot so it absorbs flavor as it softens.
The escarole and meatballs are added at the very end and cooked just long enough for the greens to wilt and the meatballs to heat through. This short final simmer keeps the escarole from turning dull or overly soft and preserves the delicate texture of the meatballs.
Tips for Success
KEEP THE MEATBALLS SMALL: Mini meatballs are essential for Italian wedding soup. They should be small enough to fit comfortably on a soup spoon so every bite includes broth, greens, and pasta.
LEFTOVER AND MAKE-AHEAD NOTES: Italian wedding soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage. Bear in mind that pasta will continue to absorb broth as the soup sits, especially during refrigeration or freezing. If you want to make the soup ahead or anticipate a lot of leftovers, we recommend cooking the pasta separately and add it to individual portions just before serving. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of broth as needed to loosen the soup.
More Italian Soup Recipes
If you enjoy this Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs, consider adding these other Italian-style soups to your rotation. Italian Chicken Soup is a longtime reader favorite with tender chicken, vegetables, and clear instructions for both Instant Pot and stovetop; Minestrone Soup with Sausage is hearty and deeply savory, packed with vegetables, beans, and bold flavor; and Stracciatella with Spinach is a simple, comforting egg-drop–style soup that comes together quickly with classic Italian flavors.
Easy Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 medium carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup soup pasta, ditalini, ancini de pepe, stars
- 3-1/2 cups roughly chopped escarole, or spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands. If the mixture feels too wet to roll easily, add additional breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon at a time, up to 4 tablespoons total.
- Roll the mixture into very small meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter (roughly marble-sized). You should have about 5 dozen meatballs. Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each.
- Bake until the meatballs are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the meatballs bake, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the pasta and cook until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the escarole and baked meatballs to the pot and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the escarole wilts and the meatballs are heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
