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This is the best recipe for Italian Wedding Soup—made with frozen meatballs in the Instant Pot for a low-prep weeknight dinner the entire family loves.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This Italian Wedding Soup cooks up quick, thanks to frozen meatballs. This Instant Pot soup recipe is also make-ahead friendly and kids love it.
This a popular soup recipes from our Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook. However, I wanted to make it on a weeknight with store-bought frozen meatballs.
Even though we’ve adapted it, it’s still a hearty meal that’s full of flavor and warms everyone up on a chilly night.
This is one of the best Instant Pot Soup recipes. We love to serve it with homemade rolls or a green salad on the side.
Wedding Soup Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for fast Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup:
- Frozen meatballs: You can use your favorite Italian meatballs for the soup.
- Chicken broth Make homemade or use low-sodium store-bought chicken broth.
- Greens: Fill your soup with nutrients using spinach or endive.
- Pasta: We love using acini de pepe noodles, but any short pasta will work.We’ve made this with ditalini and orzo and had great results with both.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This soup couldn’t be simpler, and it comes together in just a few minutes!
Great for Frozen Meatballs
The great thing about this recipe is that you don’t need to defrost the meatballs! You can add them directly from frozen to the pot with your broth, seasonings and pasta. They’ll all cook at the same time.
As for what size to use, we used these 1 ounce meatballs in this recipe, but you could also use 1/2 ounce meatballs with no change to the cook time.
Dump and Cook Meal
This recipe is a great dump-and-go meal! So simply stir together all of the ingredients, lock the lid in place, and walk away. When the cooking time ends, you’ll have dinner hot and ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions about Italian Wedding Soup
❓ How to serve Italian Wedding Soup?
This soup doesn’t need much in the way of garnish. We like to sprinkle each bowl with some parmesan cheese. You could add fresh parsley or basil too if you have some on hand.
❓ How can I make this soup more spicy?
To add a kick to your soup, you can use your favorite brand of spicy Italian meatballs. You can also add crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
❓ How should I serve leftover wedding soup?
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
❓ Can I freeze Italian Wedding Soup?
Freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container for up to six months. Defrost overnight in the fridge then reheat to serve. If you’re worried about the pasta getting overcooked, cook the noodles separately then add them just before serving.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
You might love these other fast and easy weeknight soup recipes too:
- Instant Pot Garden Fresh Minestrone Soup is a light and refreshing summery soup packed with veggies.
- Old-Fashioned Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe is hearty and full of tender, juicy pieces of beef and potatoes.
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Ingredients
- 1 package (16 oz) frozen Italian-style meatballs
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups spinach or endive, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 to 1 cup Acini de Pepe pasta (depending on your preference)
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Add broth, spinach, and pasta to the pressure cooking pot, and stir to combine. Add meatballs. Lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and 2 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Ladle soup into bowls and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, if desired, and serve.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 97Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 1292mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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FAQs
This lovely Italian wedding soup recipe is a combination of homemade meatballs with sliced escarole, carrots, and orzo pasta in a flavorsome broth. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan cheese.
Does Campbell's make Italian wedding soup? ›
Enjoy the familiar tastes of home with every spoonful of Campbell's® Homestyle Italian Wedding Soup. Made with meatballs, spinach, romano cheese and pasta in chicken broth, our hearty Italian-Style Wedding Soup is crafted with care to deliver a delicious homemade taste that's sure to warm your heart.
Why is it called Italian wedding soup in the US? ›
The term wedding soup comes from a mistranslation of the Italian language phrase minestra maritata ('married soup'). Minestra maritata more directly translates to 'wedded broths'. The marriage of its meats and veggies inside of its broth is the only matrimony relevant in this context.
Do Italians eat Italian wedding soup at weddings? ›
Savory and rustic, Italian wedding soup is certainly lovable. Yet, regardless of what the name implies, it's not traditionally served at Italian weddings (despite the rumor that it's an aphrodisiac for newlyweds). Many people eat it during the winter or early springtime, but wedding season is irrelevant here.
What is the real name of Italian wedding soup? ›
A mistranslation of minestra maritata, a classic Neapolitan soup whose name means “married soup”, the marriage in question doesn't involve a human couple but the “marriage” of various meats and greens.
What is the most famous soup in Italy? ›
Minestrone is a classic Italian soup known worldwide as one of the best Italian soups. It's got a flavorful broth and a variety of slow-cooked vegetables like potatoes, peas, and carrots. Adding Italian sausage gives it a kick of flavor and a shot of protein, so it's a complete meal all by itself.
Does Progresso make Italian wedding soup? ›
Progresso Light Italian-Style Wedding canned soup has at least 33% fewer calories per serving than regular ready-to-serve soups*. Indulge in every bite of Italian wedding soup made with pork and turkey meatballs, carrots and spinach in a rich chicken broth.
How to make canned Italian wedding soup better? ›
Canned Italian wedding soup can be amped up with sausage.
Italian wedding soup consists of vegetables, meatballs, and small pasta noodles, so the sausage can add a nice kick of flavor. "I always add Sriracha and freshly grated parmesan to brighten it up," he added.
Is Campbell's Italian Wedding Soup healthy? ›
Each can of this soup is made to satisfy with nutritious ingredients you could find in your kitchen, like turkey meatballs, carrots, spinach, and pasta in nourishing chicken bone broth. This soup contains 13 grams of protein per can.
What is the difference between minestrone and Italian wedding soup? ›
It's similar to minestrone, but is made with meatballs; minestrone is usually made from vegetables and pasta. Italian wedding soup is a phenomenal freezer-friendly soup, and it doesn't take long to make – a perfect project for a chilly afternoon!
What greens to use in Italian Wedding Soup? The most traditional greens to use in this soup is escarole, but it's not always widely available. If you need to, substitute endive or kale. Spinach is my personal least favorite green to use, as it adapts a slimy texture in the soup.
What is in Campbell's Italian wedding soup? ›
CHICKEN BROTH (WATER, CHICKEN STOCK), BEEF MEATBALLS (SOY), ACINI DE PEPE PASTA (WHEAT FLOUR, EGG WHITE), SPINACH, POTATO STARCH, SALT, DRIED ONION, PARMESAN AND CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK), DRIED GARLIC, SPICES, FLAVOUR (CONTAINS CELERY), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ...
What do they call Italian wedding soup in Italy? ›
Its original name in Italian is minestra maritata and it was translated to “wedding soup”, when in fact, a more appropriate translation would be “married soup”—as in green vegetables (minestra) blend very well (maritata) with meat.
What is the cash gift for an Italian wedding? ›
It is even custom in Italian weddings to give money as a gift to the bride and groom, so much so that the bride carries a special satin purse specifically for money gifted to her by the guests.
Who pays for Italian wedding? ›
The best man or witness may culturally pay for the wedding rings. The groom is known to buy the bride's bouquet. The groom's family pays for almost every wedding expense except for the bride's garment, wedding invitations and flower decorations which are settled by the bride's family.
What's in Campbell's Italian wedding soup? ›
CHICKEN BROTH (WATER, CHICKEN STOCK), BEEF MEATBALLS (SOY), ACINI DE PEPE PASTA (WHEAT FLOUR, EGG WHITE), SPINACH, POTATO STARCH, SALT, DRIED ONION, PARMESAN AND CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK), DRIED GARLIC, SPICES, FLAVOUR (CONTAINS CELERY), MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ...
Does Italian wedding soup contain pork? ›
Italian Wedding Soup is a rich, hearty recipe made with small beef and pork meatballs, tender greens, and delicate pasta. This authentic Italian wedding soup recipe takes a little time to make, but it's well worth the effort. To get a jump on things make both the meatballs and the chicken stock ahead of time!
Is wedding soup actually served at weddings? ›
Upon a quick Google search, you'll learn Italian Wedding Soup is not a soup traditionally served at Italian weddings at all (bummer), but yet another Italian American twist on a classic—Minestra Maritata.
