My love affair with Italian Wedding Soup began unexpectedly during my university days. It was at the cafeteria of the U of C’s Engineering building, a place not typically associated with culinary delights. I wasn’t an engineering student, but my best friend was, and she shared one of campus’s best-kept secrets: they served incredible soup, and it was unbelievably affordable! Those words were pure music to a perpetually hungry student’s ears. For years, I searched for a version that could rival that nostalgic taste, until I finally perfected this very recipe: an Easy Italian Wedding Soup with Frozen Meatballs that truly hits the spot.

This comforting and flavorful soup is a popular choice during the crisp fall and chilly winter months, but its delightful taste makes it a welcome meal any time of the year. What’s more, it’s incredibly wholesome and Weight Watchers friendly, coming in at just 4 WW points per serving. If you’re eager to discover more nourishing and heartwarming fall soup ideas, be sure to explore our curated collection of the Best Healthy Fall Soups!

🍒 What Our Readers Are Saying

“This is the ultimate comforting cold-weather soup that isn’t chili or stew. I would have never imagined that mixing meatballs with chicken broth could be so incredibly delicious!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – A delighted Food Meanderings reader.

📖 Variations & Substitutions for Your Italian Wedding Soup

This recipe is wonderfully adaptable! Feel free to customize it based on your preferences or what you have available:

• Spinach: If you don’t have frozen chopped spinach, fresh baby spinach works beautifully. Simply add it in the final minutes of cooking, allowing it to wilt. You can also experiment with other leafy greens like chopped kale or Swiss chard for a slightly different flavor and texture profile.
• Parmesan Cheese: For those mindful of dietary fats, feel free to use light or fat-free Parmesan cheese. The flavor contribution will still be significant.
• Italian Parsley: While Italian parsley is preferred for its stronger flavor, regular fresh curly parsley can be used as a substitute. If opting for regular parsley, consider using a slightly larger quantity to ensure its flavor comes through.
• Acini de Pepe Pasta: If Acini de Pepe is hard to find, orzo pasta is an excellent alternative. Orzo is small and rice-shaped, providing a similar mouthfeel in the soup. Keep in mind that orzo might require a minute or two longer to cook to al dente perfection.
• Meatballs: To further lighten up the soup, you can opt for ground chicken meatballs, turkey meatballs, or even vegetarian “meatballs.” Just ensure they are fully cooked through before serving. The mini meatballs available in some stores also work well for a slightly different aesthetic.
• Additional Veggies: Boost the nutritional content and add a pop of color by including shredded carrots or finely diced carrots. These can be added along with the onion at the beginning of the cooking process to soften.

💭 Italian Wedding Soup History Unveiled

Have you ever wondered about the intriguing name “Italian Wedding Soup”? The term actually stems from the beautiful Italian phrase “minestra maritata.” This translates literally to “married soup,” but not in the sense of being served at a wedding ceremony. Instead, it refers to the harmonious “marriage” or perfect blending of flavors achieved by combining the various ingredients. Specifically, it highlights the delicious union of hearty greens with savory meats, or more broadly, the way all the distinct flavors in the broth become betrothed and intermingle.

More accurately translated as “wedded broths,” the name emphasizes how the ingredients — like tender meatballs, fresh vegetables, and delicate pasta — simmer together to create a cohesive, flavorful union. Despite its evocative name, this soup is traditionally not a staple at Italian weddings. Its true essence lies in celebrating the unique symphony of tastes that develop during the cooking process, resulting in a wonderfully rich, brothy, and meaty experience that delights the palate. To delve deeper into the fascinating origins and cultural context of this beloved soup, you can explore resources HERE or HERE.

🔢 Weight Watchers Friendly Nutrition

One of the fantastic benefits of this Easy Italian Wedding Soup with frozen meatballs is its nutritional profile. Each hearty serving is only 4 Weight Watchers points (on the blue plan), making it an excellent choice for those managing their intake without sacrificing flavor or satisfaction.

🌡️ Storing and Reheating Tips

Preparing a big batch of this Italian Wedding Soup is a smart move for meal prepping. Here’s how to store and reheat it to maintain its delicious quality:

• Refrigeration: Any leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This makes for convenient grab-and-go lunches or quick dinners throughout the week.
• Freezing: This homemade soup freezes exceptionally well. Once it has completely cooled, transfer it to freezer-safe sealed containers. It will keep beautifully in the freezer for up to 3 months. This is perfect for ensuring you always have a comforting meal on hand!
• Reheating: The soup reheats very nicely. You can warm it up in the microwave for about 1.5 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway, or gently heat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it’s simmering. It’s important to note that the pasta (Acini de Pepe) will continue to absorb liquid the longer the soup sits, especially overnight. To bring the soup back to its original consistency, I highly recommend adding a little extra water or chicken broth when reheating. This ensures your soup remains perfectly brothy and delicious.

👪 Serving Size and Adjustments

This particular homemade Italian Wedding Soup recipe is designed to yield 12 generous servings, making it ideal for family dinners, meal prepping, or feeding a small crowd. Should you need to adjust the quantity, you can easily half, double, or even triple the recipe. In the recipe card below, simply click on the serving number, and you’ll be able to select your desired number of servings. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust to match your chosen yield, making meal planning a breeze!

Traditional meatballs in Italian Wedding Soup often consist of ground beef, sometimes a mix of beef and pork, combined with bread crumbs, an egg (as a binder), grated Parmesan cheese, and various Italian spices like garlic, onion powder, and parsley. However, for this quick and easy recipe, we use high-quality frozen Italian meatballs, which significantly cuts down on preparation time without compromising flavor.

If you are using homemade meatballs, it’s generally recommended to brown them lightly before adding them to the soup. This step helps to seal in their juices and adds an extra layer of flavor and texture. However, when using frozen, pre-cooked Italian meatballs, browning is entirely unnecessary. You can add them directly to the simmering soup from frozen, which is one of the key time-saving aspects of this recipe.

While both are beloved Italian soups, Minestrone and Italian Wedding Soup have distinct characteristics. Minestrone is traditionally a thick, vegetable-rich soup, often containing a wider variety of seasonal vegetables, along with beans (like cannellini or kidney beans) and/or chickpeas. It’s typically vegetarian and focuses on the abundance of fresh produce. Italian Wedding Soup, on the other hand, is distinguished by its savory meatballs and delicate greens (like spinach or escarole) in a lighter, flavorful broth, and it generally does not contain beans.

Absolutely! To make this soup vegetarian, simply substitute the chicken bouillon with vegetable bouillon or vegetable broth. Replace the frozen Italian meatballs with vegetarian or plant-based meatballs. Ensure any Parmesan cheese used is vegetarian-friendly (made without animal rennet) or opt for a nutritional yeast substitute for a cheesy flavor. The rest of the ingredients are already vegetarian-friendly.

While this recipe is designed for quick stovetop preparation, it can be adapted for a slow cooker. Combine the water, bouillon, onion, garlic, and frozen spinach in the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1.5-2 hours. About 30-45 minutes before serving, add the frozen meatballs and Acini de Pepe pasta, allowing them to cook through. Keep in mind that pasta can become very soft in a slow cooker, so adding it towards the end is crucial.

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