It's a streamlined version of the original.
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I make a lot of soup at home. Every week, I whip up a vat or two of my family’s favorite recipes, like cabbage and potato, lemony matzo ball, and creamy tomato. Recently, I decided I wanted to add a few new soups to the lineup, so I set out to simplify a recipe I had been reserving for special occasions—Italian wedding soup.
Italian wedding soup features small meatballs, robust greens, and tiny pasta, creating a satisfying meal-in-a-bowl, topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a splash of quality olive oil. Typically, this dish requires a lot of effort, so I don’t prepare it frequently. However, after discovering a smart shortcut from one of my editors, I’ve transformed this cozy soup into a weeknight staple. Now, I find myself making it all the time!
The term Italian wedding soup is a misinterpretation of the Italian phrase “minestra maritata,” which translates more closely to “marriage soup.” This name reflects the combination of meatballs and leafy greens, akin to a union. Anyone who is married knows that a wedding differs significantly from a marriage. A wedding is a celebration—joyful and lighthearted! In contrast, a marriage involves achieving harmony and making concessions.
This variation of Italian wedding soup might be better named Italian marriage soup, as it simplifies the labor-intensive process of crafting numerous small meatballs by using Italian sausage instead. It achieves a delightful balance among the sausage, robust greens, and the tiny pasta known as ditalini, which conveniently looks like wedding rings.
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How to Prepare My Simple Italian Wedding Soup
This soup deviates from the classic Italian wedding recipe, and it's important to acknowledge that from the start. This adaptation cuts the cooking time in half by utilizing pre-seasoned Italian sausage rather than crafting meatballs from scratch.
Begin by shaping one-inch balls from Italian sausage and searing them in olive oil in a sturdy pot. Make sure to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once browned, remove the meatballs and use the same pan to sauté diced onions and minced garlic until they become tender.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, incorporate the pasta and sausage balls, allowing it to simmer. After a few minutes, toss in your greens; I like using escarole for its rich, bitter flavor, but spinach is also an excellent fast-cooking option. Finish the dish with a splash of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top.
Suggestions for Preparing Italian Wedding Soup
- For this simplified version, I’m just using onions and garlic, but celery and carrots are common in other versions of Italian wedding soup. To make prep even easier, use store-bought mirepoix.
- It’s easiest to roll the sausage balls when the sausage is cold. Use sausage straight from the fridge and wet your hands before rolling.
- For more depth of flavor, use 1 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan after sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Make sure the sausage balls are small (about an inch in diameter) so they cook quickly.
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How to Prepare My Simple Italian Wedding Soup
To serve approximately 6 people, you'll require:
- 1 pound mild Italian ground sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 quarts (8 cups) chicken stock
- 1 cup small pasta, such as ditalini, acini de pepe, or orzo
- 4 packed cups (4 to 5 ounces) spinach or escarole, stems removed and roughly torn
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or as needed
Shape the ground sausage into 1-inch "meatballs" and arrange them on a plate. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the meatballs, turning them to brown on all sides, for approximately 10 minutes, doing this in batches if needed. Once cooked, move them to a plate and cover to keep them warm.
In the same pot (no need to clean it), cook the onion until it starts to become tender, which should take around 4 minutes. Then, add the garlic and continue to sauté for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes fragrant and soft.
Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil, making sure to scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to a simmer, then incorporate the pasta and the browned meatballs. Let it simmer until the pasta is just shy of al dente, following the package instructions, which should take around 8 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from adhering to the pot's bottom.
Incorporate the spinach into the mixture and let it simmer until the spinach turns deep green and wilts, while the pasta finishes cooking, which should take an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper, and taste to your liking. For serving, you may choose to drizzle some high-quality olive oil on top and add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Leftover food can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for as long as 5 days, or it can be allowed to cool down completely and then frozen for a maximum of one month.
