This Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs features a big-time shortcut while being made from scratch. With lean meat, small pasta, and greens, it's a simple and nutritious recipe that hits the spot all year round.
Italian wedding soup was in regular rotation in our dinner menu when I was growing up. When everyone in the family loves the same relatively healthy meal, you’ve got a keeper.
Being spoiled from homemade Italian wedding soup, I noticed something a little off when I first encountered it commercially-made. The meatballs were round.
What was in my beloved soup? Square meatballs. Meatsquares, if you will. My mom let me in on her time-saving secret: instead of scooping, shaping, and cooking a ton of mini meatballs, she baked the meatball mixture in one large square. Once cooked, she quickly sliced the meat layer into small squares and threw them in the soup.
I carry that efficient lesson into my own batches of this soup now as an adult. Achieving great, homemade taste with much less prep work is always a win.
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Why You'll Love Italian Wedding Soup
- There's no need to roll dozens and dozens of tiny individual meatballs. Baking Italian-seasoned turkey meatballs in one flat layer saves you so much time!
- There's a lot of versatility with ingredients. Choose your preferred greens, pasta, etc.
- Making Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs lightens it up nutritionally without sacrificing flavor.
- It freezes really well.
Recipe Ingredients
- Turkey Meatballs: Among other ingredients these feature Italian breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and my favorite meatball tip: grated onion. So much moisture! This recipe for baked turkey meatballs is detailed in-depth in its own post if you'd like to dive in more.
- Greens: Many can work, including escarole, kale, Swiss chard, or spinach. Escarole is my first choice, but it's a little difficult to find by me and I have a hard time not making easy escarole and beans if I can actually get it. Lacinato kale is my pick over curly kale for this recipe (and minestrone soup).
- Pasta: Use a small variety, such as acini di pepe, pastina, orzo, or ditalini.
- Broth: Reduced-sodium chicken broth or stock is my preference.
- Garlic: Freshly minced or pressed is a more flavorful option than the jarred stuff.
- Parmesan: Same goes for the Parm! I will shred either a wedge of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano for this recipe. A good second choice is a pre-grated tub found in the refrigerated deli or specialty cheese case. I avoid the shelf-stable canister.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by preparing your turkey meatball mixture and baking it. This can be done a day ahead of time to cut down on day-of steps.
- Mix meatball ingredients. Mix together all meatball ingredients in a large mixing bowl, either by hand or with a sturdy spatula.
- Bake the "meatsquares". Press the mixture into an even layer in a greased 9-inch square baking dish, then bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes, or until the center of the thickest part registers 165°F.
- Sauté vegetables. Meanwhile sauté onion in olive oil, then add the garlic.
- Simmer. Add the broth, greens, and pasta and simmer nicely for 10 or so minutes, until the greens are tender and the pasta is fully cooked. Stir in the meatballs and Parmesan, then serve once the meatballs are thoroughly warmed.
Serving Suggestions
I like to give this soup the white bean potato soup treatment when it comes to toppings. Both recipes have a solid base that lends itself well to more impactful serving accompaniments. Choose one - or all!
- Grated or shredded Parmesan (or Pecorino) - Reserve some of the shredded Parmesan (or shred some more) for sprinkling over top of your bowl of soup.
- Lemon juice - Freshly-squeezed lemon juice is a must when I serve this soup. It brights up the flavor well and pairs really nicely with the escarole or other greens.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - A drizzle of olive oil over top of a soup may be unexpected, but adds a richness that bumps everything up to the next level.
- Crushed red pepper flakes - If you like heat.
Tips and Tricks
- If using spinach, hold off on adding it to the pot of soup until just a few minutes before serving. It wilts much quicker than the hardier greens.
- Pasta is notorious for absorbing a lot of liquid in a soup, growing to super-sized in leftover portions. If that's not your preference, cook the pasta in a separate pot, adding it fully-cooked to the soup before serving.
- Go easy on seasoning with salt near the beginning. A good amount of Parmesan/Pecorino is melted into the broth at the end, and these hard Italian cheeses provide saltiness.
- You don't need to add all of the meatsquares if the pot of soup is looking crowded. I like to slice any remaining portion into strips for sandwiches.
More Satisfying Soup Recipes
Note: This recipe was edited in January 2024 from its initial publish date in 2018. Originally featuring a creamy broth (with pureed cannellini beans and potato), I decided to pull back on this unconventional twist and stick with the tried and true version I grew up with.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino
- ¼ cup grated onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Soup:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 bunch escarole chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup small pasta such as acini di pepe, pastina, orzo, ditalini
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan or Pecorino more for serving
- Freshly-squeezed lemon juice for serving
Instructions
For the Meatballs:
- Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add all meatball ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix until just combined. I like to put on disposable gloves and mix everything with my hands, but a sturdy spatula will do.
- Press meatball mixture into the greased pan in an even layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the mixture is cooked through and the thickest part registers 165°F. Set aside to cool slightly before slicing into cubes.
For the Soup:
- While the meatballs are baking, add olive oil to a large pot set over medium heat. Once heated, add diced onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour in the broth, then add the chopped escarole and bring to a nice simmer. Once simmering, add the dry pasta and cook according to package directions until tender. Stir frequently so the pasta doesn't clump.
- Once the escarole is tender and the pasta is cooked, stir in about half of the meatballs, then add the rest if you'd like a heartier soup. Stir in ½ cup shredded Parmesan/Pecorino until melted, then add more salt, if needed, to taste.
- Serve this Italian wedding soup with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan/Pecorino and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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Allynne says
Little square meatballs. A brilliant idea!