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Made with homemade turkey meatballs, tiny pasta, and dark leafy greens, Italian Wedding Soup is simple yet flavorful. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Easy Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Italian Wedding soup is a classic favorite of mine. It’s such a simple yet flavorful soup, with meatballs, small pasta like ditalini, and leafy greens.
The name “Italian Wedding Soup” is a reference to the “marriage” of greens and meat in the soup . I love to use escarole in my soup but spinach, kale, and other dark leafy greens work just as well!
A few more soup recipes I love are Spinach Tortellini en Brodo, Cheeseburger Soup and Minestrone Soup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Italian Wedding Soup
- Quick and easy. One reason I love this recipe for Italian meatball soup so much is that it’s just so easy. It comes together in just 30 minutes – and that includes making the meatballs from scratch!
- Meatballs made from scratch. The meatballs in this soup are turkey meatballs made from scratch – but don’t let that intimidate you! The meatballs are made with just a few ingredients and require just a few minutes of prep.
- Perfect for meal prep. This recipe makes a lot, which makes it perfect to make ahead and freeze in portions for lunch or dinner for the month.
Recipe Ingredients
Both the homemade meatballs and the soup are made with just a handful of ingredients. Scroll down to the recipe card below for measurements.
For the Meatballs
- Ground turkey breast – I used 99% lean ground turkey.
- Breadcrumbs – I like seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs. If you find unseasoned, you may want to add more seasoning to the mixture.
- Parmesan cheese – Grated from the block.
- Aromatics – Parsley, onion, and garlic add flavor to the meatballs.
- Egg – Helps to hold the meatballs together.
- Salt
For the Soup
- Olive oil – For sauteing the aromatics.
- Onion & carrots – Add flavor and texture.
- Chicken broth – Use low sodium to control the saltiness of the broth.
- Parmesan cheese rind – Optional but recommended for flavor.
- Leafy greens – You can use escarole, fresh spinach, or any dark leafy green you desire.
- Cracked pepper
- Pasta – Acini di pepe, orzo, and ditalini are all great choices.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
Here’s an overview of how to make this Italian wedding soup recipe on the stovetop. Scroll down to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prepare the broth. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, saute the olive oil, onions, and carrots until soft. Add the chicken broth and cheese rind then cover and bring to a boil.
- Make the meatballs. Combine the meatball ingredients. Form small meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each. Place them on a baking sheet and broil for 8 to 10 minutes, this helps them keep their shape in the soup.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Once the broth is boiling, add the meatballs and cook until tender. Add the pasta, and greens, along with the pepper and salt. Cook according to the pasta directions.
- Enjoy. Remove the parmesan cheese rind and enjoy!
Variations
- Meat: Use ground beef or ground chicken in place of ground turkey. Italian sausage meat can also be added.
- Vegetables: Add celery, or replace the greens with chopped kale.
- More Protein: Use bone broth for more protein.
Can I Make This In The Instant Pot?
Yes! You can also make your Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot. The process is very similar, you just use the sauté function to cook the carrots and onions then high pressure to boil the broth. You can cook the meatballs right in the Instant pot as well. The recipe card below has full Instant Pot instructions.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips and variations for making your Italian wedding soup.
- Use the Instant Pot. To make this soup even quicker, you can prepare it in the Instant Pot. You can even cook the meatballs right in the Instant Pot as well. See the recipe card below for complete Instant Pot instructions.
- Use frozen meatballs. Don’t feel like making the meatballs from scratch? You can definitely use frozen meatballs! Note that they may need a few extra minutes to cook through.
- Avoid overcooking the pasta. The small pasta used in this recipe cooks very quickly, so be sure to keep an eye on it to avoid mushy pasta.
- Omit the pasta. If desired, you can omit the pasta entirely for a low-carb soup.
Serving Suggestions
The wonderful thing about this soup is that it makes a hearty but light lunch or dinner on its own. I like to serve it with some freshly grated parmesan on top and you may want to serve with a slice of crusty bread to soak up the yummy broth as well.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge. Store leftover Italian wedding soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- Freezer. This soup also freezes well. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
- Reheat. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or bring larger portions to a simmer on the stovetop.
More Soup Recipes You might Enjoy
- Lentil Kale Soup
- Easy Wonton Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chowder
- Tomato Basil Soup
Italian Wedding Soup
Made with homemade turkey meatballs, tiny pasta, and dark leafy greens, Italian Wedding Soup is simple yet flavorful. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large pot
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 20 oz ground turkey breast 99% lean, 1.3 lb total
- 1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the soup:
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 small carrots, finely diced
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Parmesan cheese rind, optional
- 1 16 oz head escarole, fresh spinach, or any dark leafy green, chopped
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 3 ounces uncooked acini di pepe, or orzo, ditalini or small gluten-free pasta shape (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
Stove Directions:
- Heat a large pot over med-high heat and add the olive oil, onions and carrots, saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and Parmesan cheese rind, if using and bring it to a boil, covered.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, salt and cheese. Using your (clean) hands, gently mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined.
- Form small meatballs, about 1 tbsp each, you'll get about 40. Place them on a sheet pan and broil on the 2nd rack from the top until the top is golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- When the broth comes to a boil, drop the meatballs in, add the pasta and chopped escarole.
- Add fresh black pepper, adjust salt as needed and cook according to pasta directions, about 10 minutes or until the pasta and meatballs are cooked through. Remove parmesan cheese rind and serve.
Instant Pot Directions:
- Press saute and add the oil, onions and carrots. Saute 4 to 5 minutes, stirring then press cancel and pour the chicken broth and Parmesan cheese rind, if using to the pot. Cover and cook high pressure 10 minutes to bring it to a boil. Quick or natural release.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, salt and cheese. Using your (clean) hands, gently mix all the ingredients well until everything is combined.
- Form small meatballs, about 1 tbsp each, you’ll get about 40.
- When the broth comes to a boil, drop the meatballs in, add the orzo and chopped escarole. Add fresh pepper, adjust salt as needed, cover and cook high pressure about 5 minutes, quick release. Remove parmesan cheese rind and serve.
Last Step:
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Notes
Makes 12 cups.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 1/2 cups, Calories: 167 kcal, Carbohydrates: 12 g, Protein: 22 g, Fat: 3 g, Saturated Fat: 0.8 g, Cholesterol: 25 mg, Sodium: 647.5 mg, Fiber: 2.5 g, Sugar: 0.5 g
My husband and I loved it! Only difference is I didn’t have parm so had to sub cheddar and I used Bok choy as the green. Will make again 💯!
This is fabulous. I used Realgood Frozen Chicken Meatballs, chopped spinach, and orzo. Parmesean rind gives it such a wonderful flavor.
This is sooo good! I used my own homemade chicken broth yay
Used the instant pot method and I was a little worried about the meatballs but they held up perfectly!
I was going to freeze the extra leftovers but we ate the heck out of it tonight and there is only some for lunch left over hehe Next time I will make it with some bread or a small salad so I have some to freeze lol 😋
I added a diced potatoe and made mini bread bowls. Delicious!
Everyone (husband, 11 yr old son & 10 yr old daughter) all loved this. Major win! I think the Parmesan rind in the broth was clutch. I used spinach & orzo because it was what I had on hand. Awesome!
Absolutely love this recipe! It tastes amazing and is so easy to make. I made my turkey meatballs double the size for a heartier meal and added orzo pasta. 😋😋😋
Amazing and easy!
I love this recipe!
Yum! I make this quite often and have tried so many different recipes, but this one is the best! The mini meatballs are sooooo yummy! Thanks again Gina.. another winner as always!
Absolutely delish! Easy to make and adding to the rotation! Thank you!
This was easy to make and delicious to eat! I used kale as my greens and they were tender and appreciated by my husband. The perfect weekend meal at home!
Absolutely delicious! First time making this, but I’d reverse steps 1 and 2. It took almost no time at all for the broth to boil and I hadn’t even finished making the meatballs much less broiled them.
Love this soup! Out of curiosity, what happened to the Italian sausage it used to have in the meatballs?
I really liked this recipe. The flavors are all great. I wish however the ground turkey had only been 1 lb. I have never seen 20 oz of ground turkey, it is always 1 lb. This meant I had to find 4/5 of each item in this recipe in order for it to be consistent. Very aggravating.
First time making wedding soup and wow, the meatballs were so tender! Very tasty. Thanks for another lovely recipe!
This soup is amazing! I highly recommend! IT is one of the best soups I have ever tasted!
This is probably one of the best soups I have EVER tasted. I made a pot last week for my lunches for the week, and unlike any other soup, my family tasted it and then asked for it for dinner. So much for my lunch plans! Ii is phenomenal and so easy to make!
Glad everyone enjoyed it!
Made this delicious soup yesterday.
I used spinach instead of escarole. It was so good.
I love this recipe! So easy and so delicious! The meatball mixture is amazing!
We love this soup! Family favorite! I make it with chopped spinach. Delish!
I made it in the instant pot. I did not saute the carrots with the onion because they would get mushy if I added them before the 10 minute cook time. I added them with the Pasta, Escarole and meatball 5 minute cook.
I used Jennie-O Italian-Style Turkey Sausage, which I had in my freezer. It was excellent and even better the next day. A few red pepper flakes added just a little heat. This is a ‘go-to keeper’ – I loved the pressure cooker – one pot. Clean-up was minimal.
Great recipe very flavorful , meatballs melt in your mouth. Great dinner with a crusty bread and salad. We enjoy leftovers
Super tasty for both kids and adults! More labor intensive than expected, likely because I doubled the recipe. The meatball rolling is the most time consuming, but worth it as I doubled the recipe.
I’m GF so had both basmati rice and orzo on the side to add.
Absolutely delicious. Our family loved this recipe– especially the outstanding meatballs!
Thanks Stacie!
This was super delicious and satisfied both my very health conscious daughter as well as my more “meat and potatoes” husband! Subbed banza chickpea macaroni noodles for the pasta and used spinach. Added addtional grated parm to the top.
Very good will make this again!
Do you think I could make this in the crock pot?
This soup is DELICIOUS. Perfect for lunch all week
Wow! This soup is delicious! I used baby spinach and added a little extra grated cheese on top. Wonderful!
Excellent recipe – thank you my whole family loves it crusty bread
Very flavorful! And easy to make
Perfect for lunch all week! Of course I doubled up on the seasonings and added minced garlic to the vegetables which is standard when I make skinnytaste recipes.
Could you use couscous instead of the other pasta options? Would you change anything if using couscous? Thank you!
Hi Diana, did you try using couscous? I’m going to make this soon and all I have is couscous. Thanks!
Made this soup on a cold/snowy day and it was delicious.
Very yummy recipe! Made it today as we were snowed in. Everybody enjoyed it – including grandkids! Thanks Gina! Please send more great recipes!
This is such a great recipe! My husband loved it so much that I had to make it for him two nights in a row. 😀I did not make any changes other than following other people’s tips by boiling the meatballs instead of broiling them only because I like how tender they turn out when they are boiled.
I made this soup after work for dinner. It comes together quickly! I used ground chicken, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Delicious! Next time I will try baby spinach. Hubby taking soup for lunch 😋!
excellent soup. I was just like my Nonna soup. I subbed ground chicken for turkey because that’s what I had. My whole family had 2 bowls.
Very tasty! I used ground chick breast. Both Chk and Trk come prepackaged by the lb & it was plenty. Used 1/2 as much escarole to suit my taste. I use fiber gourmet rice pasta and it needs to be prepared before putting in soup. DO use the parm rind if available. I made larger meatballs and broke them down after broiling. Not as pretty but less prep. Great WW lunch.
I love this recipe, a favorite in my house. I have to serve my self first because my kids devour the whole pot. I don’t precook my meatballs, I just drop them in the broth raw and they come out perfect.
I just made this for the first time and it was delicious. I used kale b/c that is what I could get. So good.
WOW! Easy and delicious. Everyone in my family loved it and even ate the greens!
Very good! Used collard greens, fresh spinach and pastina. Also added celery. Nice meal on a snowy day
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you again, Gina, for another easy to follow and wonderful recipe!
Just made this on a snowy, cold, rainy Saturday! My husband and I absolutely loved it! I used kale as escarole is hard to come by out in the country. Will be on repeat! Thank you.
YUMMY! I made this earlier this week and it was awesome! I used escarole, which I think added a lot of flavor. I may have overcooked those delicious meatballs a tiny bit, so next time I’ll use a smaller pasta. Another keeper! Thanks, Gina!
This recipe is so yummy and very easy to make. Followed exact instructions. Used a bad of spinach for the greens. I did turn the meatballs and cooked the 4 more minutes after turning because we like them browned. Will be making this again and again!!!!!
I just ate a big bowl!!! I used rainbow chard and made the meatballs bigger…used 1/2 vegetable and 1/2 chicken broth. Make this soup. It’s fantastic!
Yummy! I think I overcooked the meatballs a little — they were a teeny bit tough but the flavor was great. I used escarole, which was outstanding!! Another keeper! Thanks, Gina!
I made this today fresh spinach and it is delicious. Recipe was easy to follow and clear. Perfect soup for a cold January day.
Delicious, I added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, but otherwise followed the recipe.
My oven/stove is currently broken. Can I make this in the crock pot?
Sure although it never comes out as good.
What’s the best green vegetable to add instead of escarole? I can’t find it in the grocery store in California during the winter.
Baby spinach, bitter greens like dandelion leaves, or any greens you like.
Try kale – just cook it a bit longer to break it down!
This soup sounds delicious! What shape of gluten free pasta do you recommend? I’ve not been able to find gf ditilini or other small pasta.
Orzo works, or elbows.
This is definitely going into my soup collection. I’ve been wanting to make Italian wedding soup for years, but hadn’t tried it until I saw yours. Thank you for a simple yet delicious recipe!
Delicious. My family asked for this recipe to go into our rotation. The next time I will add spinach for added vegetables. The orzo worked perfectly.
This is a great colorful soup. I make it for an easy Christmas Eve dinner because of the red and green vegetables, but I substitute frozen turkey breakfast sausage links cut into cubes and use farro instead of the ditalini pasta.
Thanks for the suggestion of farro! Healthier than the empty carbs of pasta!
I made this soup for the day after Christmas feast using the version in the SkinnyTaste Simple cookbook, but I can see that I’m going to discard that version and add this one to the rotation because the additional ingredients contributed considerably more flavor. The cookbook version was fine — we ate it all! — but I made several additions that appear in this recipe: I roasted my meatballs before adding them to the broth; I added carrots and onions to the soup; and I used three kinds of greens — escarole, spinach, kale — because I didn’t have enough of one kind. The cookbook version was fine, but this one was noticeably better.
I love the cookbook version too! The beef is wonderful but love this one too, enjoy!
Highly recommend using endive as your dark leafy green.
Hi Gina! I am trying to print your recipe on my Canon Printer that uses Air Print. We recently went thru an IOS upgrade, and I don’t think the software you use is working with it. It’s the only thing on the internet that won’t print. I have updated all my printer software with no luck. Hopefully you can reach out to the software company to make an update? Thanks!
Can’t be my site because I have no problems printing, maybe print as pdf then print that?
This looks like a cozy hug disguised as soup…..this is going to be my new winter lunch! 🩷
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent. C’est devenu un classique ici!
The meatballs were definitely the best part. As suggested, I added a parmesean rind. I also used kale instead of escarole based on what I had already. A nice, comforting bowl of soup.
One of my favorite soups!
Easy and very flavorful. Used Spinach as that’s what I had.
I’ve been making this recipe for years and we all love it. Quick and easy but takes like you worked hard! LOL Thanks for a great recipe!
I used to always get the Italian wedding soup at olive garden with my mom and I haven’t had it years! I liked this lightened up recipe using ground turkey breast. I think the proportions were off though, next time I would double the orzo (6 oz).
Love this recipe! I make it with Israeli Pearl couscous and it’s delicious!
Not sure how I missed this recipe before. This is a winner! I was shocked how good it is!! I used kale but otherwise followed the recipe. The broth has a lot more flavor than you would think. Going into out soup rotation
Can I make this in the slow cooker. I love this recipe and my family does to.
I’m sure you can but I would omit the pasta and cook that separately bc it will be mushy if cooked too long.
This soup is very delicious! A little time consuming for the meatballs so next time I will allow myself more time. Very good meatballs and very flavorful taste.
I needed something really quick tonight. I had frozen Kroger chicken meatballs and spinach, but followed the rest of the recipe. Delicious! I made half of a recipe for the two of us, so I have four and a half pounds of meatballs left, so I can make this many times over this long Michigan winter! Thank you for another good recipe.
Whole family loved this and even ate the greens! Pretty easy if you have everything prepped and ready to go. We like things to be extra carby, so I’d probably double the orzo next time.
Made this today! Its great! – Used Kale (thats what I had on hand).
Hi Gina!
This is soup is absolutely delicious! If I left the orzo out, would the points value change to 0? Doing the green points on WW. Thank you!
Christine
This was delicious and has so many opportunities for variation. Turkey pepperoni, or sausage. Also different greens. I used mustard greens since That’s what I had on hand and used ground chicken. Added some pepper flakes. I make soup on a regular basis and try to find recipes that allow me to stretch calories. Halved the chicken ….this way I can have a cup with lunch….
Fantastic and simple, and with a few simple tweaks, I made it even easier (for me!) I used a combo of lean and regular (95% and 85%) ground turkey for the meatballs, and panko (I had these on hand) instead of regular bread crumbs, I also added a little parsley from my garden and a little extra garlic to the meatballs. As for the soup – almost perfect as is. I had a carrot and 2 celery stalks to use up, so I sauteed them before adding the broth, and it worked wonderfully with the extra garlic I had). The orzo really does cook quick, so add it later if you plan to let it hang out on the stovetop for a bit. There was a nice, deep flavor that developed by adding the meatballs to the broth raw, and I plan to make it this way again. Very delicious soup!
Satisfying warm hug of a soup. I put turkey sausage as well as ground turkey in my meatballs.
Warm , cozy and filling soup. Easy to make and satisfying. Will make again!
So quick and easy but tastes like it cooked all day. So good!
I cooked this using an instant pot (I am new to the IP). Do not add Orzo too quickly into hot broth, you will have one foamy mess that foams out and over the IP. Other than that little error it tasted amazing. I used Spinach! Many lessons to be learned daily with an IP.
Hello Gina
I’m looking forward to making this soup for lunches on cold L. I. days. If I add mushrooms can it be frozen? I looked at your mushroom soups and did not see any that are freezer friendly.
Sure!
Hi Gina,
This recipe looks amazing! Could I substitute Escarole with Kale?
Thanks!
sure!
Hi Gina,
This recipe looks amazing? Could I substitute toe Escarole with Kale?
Thanks!
Sure!
Just finished making this soup. It is SO GOOD!! so good, I had to come back and tell you how much I like it! Thank you! ALL your recipes are always winners.
Thank you!
I know this recipe is an oldie, but it’s new to me and I made it last night – amazing! I followed the recipe to the letter, except for one addition. I threw a parmesan rind into the broth while cooking – a trick I also learned from you. 🙂 The resulting bowl of soup was so flavorful and hearty. Can’t wait for leftovers tonight!
Sounds good!
Oh. My. Gosh! I just made this soup with my homemade broth and it is fantastic. Delicious!!
My husband and I absolutely love this soup! It was super easy to make! Thank you!
This soup was fantastic! I'm a real soup snob and this was pretty amazing and very easy to make. 🙂
Hello! Made this for the first time yesterday and it was easy and delicious! The only thing I may change for next time is baking the meatballs before I put them into the soup. The soup got a little "dirty-looking" because of cooking them in the broth. Will definitely make this again. Thank you!
how many points for just the meatballs ?
Does anyone know how many points plus this recipe would be without the orzo? Im assuming 3 0r 4?!? I I decided to make the orzo separate only bc I don't want the carbs. At least if it's on the side, the family can add in as much or as little as they wont and I dont have to worry about it. 🙂
I made this last night and threw in some cheese tortelini – delish!!
Frost this afternoon here in our place and currently it's already very cooooooold so I decided to look for a soup recipe and I found this, it's perfect for the weather today here in IL! Thanks, Gina for sharing this recipe!
can i use kale instead? i love kale 😉
I made this recipe today. It was great. I think the meatballs helped to flavor the broth.
WW lifetime member rejoining after having 2 kids in two years! Was so happy to find this website as so many friends keep telling me about it! I made this soup yesterday and it is DELICIOUS!! I prepacked a couple containers and labeled them with the points….which is why I'm writing. When I entered in your nutrition information into the WW etools mobile it came up as 4pts plus not 5….so that's a good thing! just wanted you and the other members to know….if that is in fact true. I entered it 3x and it came up 4pts plus! It was the best italian wedding soup Ive ever had. I have the rest of my week planned out already with SKINNYTASTE's recipes!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
Your blog about Italian weeding soup is really awesome. I love this recipe very much.I will definitely try this recipe. I like Italian culture, tradition, italian food etc . Last summer I have visited Italy as well as I have visited Italian restaurant. I have enjoyed Italian food very much.
Delicious! I used spinach instead of escarole and it turned out great. Thanks for another tasty recipe!
After a week of the flu we needed something healthy and soothing. This really hit the spot my husband loved it! 🙂
We'll be making this.
The only thing I'd change would be to add the orzo whenever you pull a batch from the freezer. I think the orzo will get to mushy sitting as it defrosts and then the reheating process.
I do the same when I make chicken soup. I make everything but hold off on adding the rice or noodles and add them everytime when I reheat any leftovers.
I just stumbled upon your website via pinterest and I am officially addicted! I love your blogging, photography and amazing recipes! This soup was the first one I made from your website and I have had it everyday for lunch and just can't get enough. I am so grateful to have found such a great source of healthy, yummy food. Keep on truckin lady!
I have made this twice and followed the recipe without any problems. Delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight. Overall is pretty good. I used Horizon egg whites instead of an egg, progresso italian bread crumbs and spinach. The egg whites worked well with the meatballs. You don't need 16 ounces of the spinach, I probably used 2/3 of that. I also followed a tip I saw on here about cooking the meatballs separate in water for a few minutes and then added them to the soup. Great tip! The soup wasn't cloudy with all the muck. I think it needs more chicken broth than 8 cups. The soup has a very nice flavor and is very filling. A key is to add really good parmesan to the meatballs & as a topping.
Gina, are u supposed to brown the meat first? Or will the turkey cook thoroughly just by being in the broth? Thx
Hi Gina last time I made your Italian turkey meatballs I did a double batch & froze extra uncooked meatballs. Could I use frozen uncooked meatballs in this soup or will it mess it up? I've made it before following the recipe & loved it!! Thanks Gina!
I am really starting to scare myself with my cooking thanks to you! Absolutely amazing meals; keeps me in track for almost a year. This soup was no exception . So so delicious. Thanks again!
This soup was unbeleivable, coming from an Italian Family, cutting out almost 1/2 the fat and calories was Amazing. I love your website, and have never used as many recipies from a website before .. EVER
This soup was delicious! I added a little shredded carrot, just for more veggies & color. It made enough that my BF & I each had a big bowl & I put the rest in the freezer for next time. Great recipe, thanks!
I was going to add carrots & celery to make it more like my original (not WW) version. Thinking I would add 1 pt+, does that sound right?
I'd love some tips on freezing/reheating, too! Can I make the whole soup, freeze leftovers, and reheat in the crockpot? Or should I reheat the brothy part, and freeze the meatballs separately… is so, when would I add them in? The last half hour? And what about the orzo? Doesn't it get mushy if frozen? Thanks for any help you can provide!
I'm new to freezer cooking. Can you explain how you defrost/re-heat? I'd like to be able to freeze and reheat individual portions as quickly as possible. This was one of my favorite meals growing up and I am happy to have a lightened up recipe for it. Thanks!!
We made this with a few changes to make it gluten free due to dietary restrictions. We used rice instead of orzo and omitted the breadcrumbs from the meatballs and added extra cheese to replace the breadcrumbs. It turned out great! Kids loved it too. Thanks!
I made this last night and LOVED it (and am still loving it as I eat leftovers for lunch right now). I used Kale which worked well except I should have done a better job cutting up the pieces and removing some of the bigger stalks as it's a bit leafy – but still tasty. Also used 2/3 cup orzo to get in a few more carbs and eat as a main meal. Turkey meatballs were great, very flavorful and moist, loved being able to just drop them right into the broth. So tasty and so easy, thank you for this recipe. I'm looking forward to trying more of yours!
Katie
Hi Gina. I am Gina too. Just discovered your blog and I am on a roll with the recipes. Great soup, hubby really enjoyed it! It was so easy too!! Made the pumpkin butter as well, it's heavenly!!! Thanks!
This soup is so delicious!! For all those who weren't sure about the escarole and subbed spinach, I tried with both, and I have to say the escarole is superior! Definitely brought a little more flavor to the soup. I also sauteed my onions and garlic with a spritz of EVOO from my misto before adding them to the meatball mixture, it added a little more depth of flavor to an already delicious recipe. I make big batches of this and freeze 'em for an easy lunch! Thanks for this one, Gina!
I made this tonight with spinach – it was SOOO yummy and so easy 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I made this tonight with kale and it was so so so SO GOOD. This will definitely be my go-to soup this fall and winter. Thanks for sharing this 🙂
I just made this – DELICIOUS!!!! Perfect for this slightly cool fall day. I made a double batch with extra meatballs which I cooked in the broth but pulled out for another dish sometime down the road. I will definitely be doing that again!
I've been making this recipe for years-it's from Bon Appetit (you've changed a little but not much). Why not make a note that this is an adapted recipe?
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Escarole-and-Orzo-Soup-with-Turkey-Parmesan-Meatballs-107692
This site is the most original recipe site, you must be joking.
Just looked at the link, funny it's pretty close but no I didn't copy it from there, I would have linked back. These are my Italian turkey meatballs recipe (old recipe on this Skinnytaste) basically dropped in broth instead of sauce with escarole and pasta. It's a pretty common soup that doesn't have too many ingredients, so I can see why you might think that.
Gina~
Hi! I love this recipe and I've made it several times before you re-vamped it. Have the points changed? I thought it used to make 5 servings and for 1/5th it was 5points? Right?
Thanks!
Yes, when I remade it this time around I measured the final and re-calculated. 1 1/2 cups is more than enough per person but I wound up with more servings.
But how is it that 1/5th used to be 5 points and now 1/8th of recipe is still 5 points? I guess that's where I'm confused. Thanks!! Love your site and make soooo many of your recipes.
Made this soup yesterday and it was the perfect thing for a sunny fall day. I had 2 Turkey italian sausage links on hand, so I removed the meat from the casings and mixed it with the plain turkey. Other than that, followed the recipe to e 't.' Amazing!!
Made this last night and it was fantastic. Leftovers for lunch were just as good.. Added a bit of carrot and onion to the broth prior to adding the meatballs and escarole and it was wonderful. May consider using kale and making the meatballs spicy next time, or possibly use some oregano and lemon for a little Greek flavor. This is most certainly going into our regular Skinnytaste rotation. Thank you!!
So amazing!! And easy to make. This will be a winter favorite.
I just made this yesterday and it was so good! Froze a bunch for my upcoming lunches 🙂
must try tomo!!
we have GOT to try this soup! Soon….very soon!
I am currently sitting at my desk, enjoying this amazing soup. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
: )
I made this soup last night- what a nice flavor! I can't wait to have some leftovers at lunchtime today- thank you for the recipe!
I am not a soup fan in general, but this was so fantastically delicious!!! This recipe is a definite keeper. My husband and I loved it and I'm thrilled to find a delicious and filling low point recipe. Like many others, I used spinach and it came out great! I added an extra garlic clove to the meat mixture, though. Dinner was over 2 hours ago and the leftovers have been put away and the house STILL smells awesome from the soup cooking! Thank you Gina for yet another winner!
I made this today and we loved it! Once I removed the "green stuff" from my 5 year old's bowl, he gobbled it up. I will definitely make this again and again.
This soup was wonderful! I will make this again and again! I especially liked how the Escarole held up to the heat and didn't break down too much.
This is officially one of my favorite recipes on this site! I've been making so many of your recipes the past couple of weeks. I used this as my side dish to your chicken spinach rolatini! I couldn't stop eating spoonfuls before dinner even started! My boyfriend LOVED it! This is so easy to prepare, and so fast! But it's SO GOOD for such a simple soup! Great work, Gina! and THANK YOU for sharing, I'm making it again tonight for my mom :o)
Just made this soup. The meatballs are so delicious, and they make the soup so tasty. I added celery and carrots, and I substituted swiss chard for the escarole, because my farm stand didn't have escarole. It is still soooo delicious! Great recipe!
Can this be made in a crockpot Gina? Any idea on the cooking lengths if so? Thank you! 🙂
Sure, but I would cook the pasta and add it at the end. I would say 4 hours on low with meatballs, then add escarole and cook one more hour.
Thumbs up! Just made this for dinner and it was delicious. I added some sliced carrots and celery to the broth, which really made it pretty and added some extra flavor. This one's a keeper.
i'm fanatic about watching sodium. i'm just curious. does the bulk of the sodium come from the chicken broth you use? i know that even reduced sodium chicken broth can be in the 600s for sodium content. i use a chicken broth that has 120mg of sodium per serving, so i wonder if that would cut the sodium in the soup.
This may have been discussed previously, but, can you use kale instead? I have oodles of kale!
Absolutely, any dark leafy green would be great.
This has been one of my favorite recipes of yours! I have been waiting for cooler weather to make it. I use spinach in it, and instead of the orzo I use a parmesan and egg mix that I drizzle in it like traditional Italian wedding soup. My five year old loves it! Thanks so much 🙂
Yum! This is one of my favorite soups ever.
♥ kristen ♥
www.beholdthemetatron.com
Can vegetable broth be substituted, or would that change the taste? Thanks!
My grandmom used to 2-3 slices of bread soaked in milk to help bind meatballs together, but I know she used eggs as well so I don't know how well that combo would bind them (or affect the points) on its own. If you did that I would leave out the breadcrumbs.
Yes, I use bread once in a while too, you can wet it and mix it in, leave out the breadcrumbs.
Gina,
Love your website — have made and loved many of your recipes! Have a big question for you — I'm highly allergic to eggs. What would be a good binder for the meatballs instead of the egg? I see someone else used sausages, but the meatballs sound so lovely and I would love to try them instead. Any suggestions?
I was just going to post the same thing. My daughter is allergic to eggs too…but I really want to try this. Do you think the Egg replacer could work?
Just finished the batch, and it is delicious, didn't have any escarole, used chopped up baby spinach instead! Also made your broccoli and cheaddar/potato soup, and the cauliflower soup, and the Chia mango pudding and Chia overnight oatmeal….can you tell I am stocking up for my upcoming night shifts? All tasted amazing!
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF 'ESCEROLE'! IS IT LIKE CABBAGE OR LETTUCE?
No, it's like escarole. I would say chard or baby spinach would be a good substitute.
My only edit would be to make the soup minus the orzo, then cook the orzo as needed and add it in. The last time I made a soup like this, the orzo expanded so much that it wasn't even a soup anymore…and the orzo became really gummy after refrigerating and freezing it.
Never made anything with escarole, but looking forward to trying it!
How lovely!
this sounds really yummy – I'm not sure what escarole is – kept 'seeing' something in my head but that was endive! I have some frozen Safeway brand turkey meatballs I may use up with this – cut think in fourths. I do want to try the meatball recipe though ..hmm..now to see if I have some turkey in the freezer..I've been wanting a good meatball recipe-for me that translates to healthy and flavorful! can't wait to try this and more of your recipes. an online friend told me about this site and I found a coule of other sites that sound good as well – for me I can't have too many sources of inspiration – they motivate me LOL! I would love a cookbook (though I wanna pick out all the ones that sound best to ME to be in it LOL!)
🙂
thanks,
Susanna
I came across your site in Jan. 2012 and had found this one in your archives and made it often over the winter months. One of my favorites and so quick to make, just like all your recipes! My other 3 favorites are: Asian turkey meatballs, Coconut Shrimp Thai curry and Tilapia Fish Tacos!
This recipe is delicious! Thank you for all the wonderful ideas. I made it with kale instead of escarole, came out great!
yay! I love love love Italian wedding soup! Thanks for a great recipe.
I love this soup!! Great recipe!
Gina – I hardly ever comment but I have been obsessing over your blog for a few months now. I found you on pinterest and have made many of your recipes to date. I have loved every one of them so completely! My family loves them too. Even my picky boys! I have made several of your recipes for company and they have all raved about how delicious everything is and can they have the recipe please?
Tonite is the Bolognese Sauce w/pasta (I couldn't find any spaghetti squash). It's simmering right now and smells delicious. Maybe later this week I'll make this wonderful sounding soup. It's supposed to finally rain here in WA and I'd love to have a nice warm soup!
Anyway, just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your website and all your wonderful recipes! Thanks for giving all of us healthy alternatives (and for taking the time to calculate not just the WW points, but all the nutritional information). You are a gem!
So happy you are enjoying them!
I usually bake a triple batch of mini mealballs, then separate them out and freezer bag them until I'm ready for another pot..we also sub in spinach and use 6c of chicken broth and 2c of beef broth vs all chicken…we also cook the orzo separate to portion better and it doesn't get soggy
I love that you can make a lot and save some for later! Some things taste even better the next day!
Especially soup!
What a great skinny take on this delicious soup! I'd love to try it myself!
One of my favorite soups ever.
I do something first with the meatballs that I learned from Lidia Bastianich. You simmer the meatballs for 3-4 minutes in plain water, then fish them out & plop into the soup. This makes sure no 'scummy' proteins (that white icky stuff) stay in the water pot & not into the soup. It's a nice touch & no trouble, really.
Thanks for adding the great suggestion. I usually precook my meatballs, but that's so time consuming! So, to cook them in the soup is a great idea and keeping the broth clear by pre-boiling in plain water is a tip I'll be keeping!
livininthegreen.blogspot.com
I'm so glad you like it. I was happy to see Lidia do that & it really is a good tip. Thanks!
I love make ahead meals, especially during the school year! It looks delicious and it's getting me in the mood for Fall!
Has anyone tried Quinoa in place of the Orzo?
Would be wonderful! Farro would be great too!
Is the cheese binding in the meatballs? If I make this without the parm should I add more breadcrumbs or substitute something else?
It's more for flavor, it may need more salt.
great take on an old favorite but when I lived in Italy for a year the soup was served at weddings which is why it is called wedding soup or zupa la sposa (soup of the bride) and it has a Parmesan egg type crouton floating on it.
I am thinking you could replace both the bread crumbs and the orzo with Quinoa and lower the carbs too..
I am making this tonight. I think I will add cannellini beans instead of the orzo since we loved them in your Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Escarole and Beans recipe.
Made this tonight (without the pasta–trying to cut carbs) Tastes great! Thank you!!
-Lauren
Hi Gina,
Thanks for this site. I made this and it was delightful and my husband loved it! I will make again. The meatballs are wonderful and firm, but not greasy. I will make this often. Thanks for your wonderful recipes.
I just made this today for lunch, it was so freaking good! Way better than I thought it would turn out. I couldn't find escarole so I just used spinach and some mushrooms that were about to go bad. I'm not on WW, nor am I actively trying to "diet" and I still really like this recipe. The meatball recipe is the best for turkey, gives it a lot of flavor. The only thing is that my broth wasn't as clear, some of the turkey pieces and onion had drifted off the meatballs and into the broth. Any suggestions for not having that happen next time? Should I add one more egg or reduce/increase the heat?
hi gina
i love your website and sure i will give a try to many tasty dishes
This was delicious – and perfect for a cold rainy day! It was so easy to make too. I'm definitely going to make this again.
Yum!!! I loved this recipe! I made all the meatballs and saved half for this soup and tomorrow will put the other half in marinara sauce over pasta! Cook once eat twice is my theory. Gina I LOVE this site..thanks so much for delicious light recipes. I can still eat what I like but feel great about it! -Christine
Gina,
I made the soup tonight; this is the first recipe I have attempted from your site. My grocery store didn't have escarole, so I substituted collard greens and broke up some linguine noodles because I forgot to get some orzo.
As I sit down to sample it, it tastes pretty good–I look forward to making it with the REAL ingredients sometime in the future! Soup leftovers here I come!
-Natalie
Thanks, not yet but I hope to have more time now to work on it.
Gina,
Have you started on a cookbook? I'm very interested!!! My girlfriend turned me on to Hungry Girl but I prefer your recipes. Is there a cookbook in the works?
Thanks,
Kris
Sarah, never heard of them but sounds like a quick way to make this!
First off, I found your website yesterday and fell in LOVE with it. The pictures are beautiful and recipes look delish! I saw this recipe yesterday and decided to work off it, but did a couple things different based on what I had in my house. Have you ever heard of al fresco All Natural? They make fully cooked chicken meatballs, I had the Tomato & Basil flavor in my freezer. Your turkey meatballs sound amazing, but these were assembled and fully cooked (and they taste fantastic) – the soup in general only took about 20 minutes to make. I also sautéed garlic and mushrooms before I added the broth, and used baby spinach instead of escarole.
Thanks for sharing all these fantastic recipes (and the points values), I am going to make the Spinach Lasagna Rolls tonight!
I'm a bit on a Gina's Recipe kick these days, and I had to comment that this is the *best* (good for you) thing I have ever made. I may have to hide the leftovers from my husband! Thanks for making eating healthy and on points good tasting and interesting.
I've never had Italian wedding soup before but when I decided to try it I came to your site first and voila! Another wonderful recipe! You rock Gina! Oh PS the soup was great! (I substituted spinach and brown rice since that's what I had on hand) Thanks again!
A friend gave me the link to your blog after her neighbor made and gave her some of your chicken chili. In June 2010 I had gastric bypass surgery and things are going great, but I'm always on the lookout for healthy, low-fat, low-sugar recipes that both my husband and I can eat. I've found some recipes…well, ok, a bunch of recipes here that I can't wait to try. THANK YOU for doing all this work and providing the blog, with such awesome pictures, for all of us. You rock!
So happy you are all enjoying it!
I'm making this soup again today. I just love it. And if you put together a cookbook I will be first in line for it. Thanks so much for coverting to the Points+. This is my 2nd week on WW and have lost 6 pounds so far and a few of our dinners have been your recipes.
This was amazing! I just made it tonight as is. Growing up in an Italian kitchen, my grandmother always made escarole soup. Your recipe is just delicious and the turkey meatballs have so much flavor. It didn't take long to cook at all, and it was very easy to make. Thank you! I love your site!
So far this is my favorite soup recipe on the site – so much flavor, my husband loved it! Thanks again for helping me stay on track.
I am making this recipe tomorrow and am so excited. Thank you for the wonderful recipes. We have all ready had several which have become family staples. I am following Points Plus and am enjoying this web site more than another popular "blog" web site for lighter recipes. Yours are wonderful and REALASTIC!!!!!!!! Please please get a cook book. I will be on line for one!
I am making this recipe tomorrow and am so excited. Thank you for the wonderful recipes. We have all ready had several which have become family staples. I am following Points Plus and am enjoying this web site more than another popular "blog" web site for lighter recipes. Yours are wonderful and REALASTIC!!!!!!!! Please please get a cook book. I will be on line for one!
I hope to have a cookbook in my future!
I am not really a "recipe person" normally just liking to kind of wing it on my own. But I have to tell you that your recipes that I have looked at so far are inspiring me to try some of them out. If you do a cookbook I would be interested.
And I definitely appreciate you having the WW points + values for them all.
I can't wait to try this soup.
czing – I've never been a "recipe person" either, coming from the south where everything's deepfried and home-made. And I was always the head chef at the house, but since my diagnosis of probable MS and my recent 'difficulty' cooking (read: 'often unable to cook'), I'd had trouble figuring out what to do.
Some folks online pointed me to your site, Gina, and viola! Here was my answer to needing a good diet while being the only cook in a household including my husband and a male room-mate who'd lost his home to foreclosure – oh lordy, this site has been my saving grace.
I've been able to eat healthy, get "my boys" to eat healthy AND have them cook the meals when I can't because THEY love them also! Every single one so far has been a smash. We've not always followed to a "t," but close enough that they stay healthy and we all win big.
If the guys see odd ingredients in the fridge, they know I've picked out a few newer recipes to try and they get excited – it's kinda funny seeing full grown men in their forties dancing around the kitchen asking "Whadda we gonna do for supper?"
So happy you are all enjoying the recipes!
thank you so much for this recipie. i made it yesterday and it was wonderful!!!
I made it yesterday and it was DELISH!!! Sooooo good. I used kale instead of escarole and it was still wonderful.
one of our fav recipes! just made it again yesterday 🙂
This soup was a huge hit with my friends at our Christmas celebration! Like another poster, I substituted spinach and added carrots, and it was delicious. Thanks!
Nothing beats homemade broth or stock! Glad you enjoyed it!!
This soup is fantastic and really easy to make. The meatballs are flavourful and tender. I used a homemade turkey stock as the broth and it really was great! I will be making this again for sure!
Just updated points plus!
This was so good! At first I was skeptical about putting the raw meatballs right into the broth but they turned out awesome. SO good! I had to use spinach because I couldn't find any escarole.
any chance you could do points plus, I don't see all the stats to do the calculator. 🙂 thanks!
Just wanted to let you know I made this soup today with the kale and followed your recipe to the T and it was so delicious. DH and I both had seconds and enough for supper tomorrow. Thank you so much, this is a definite keeper.
I loved this soup! I added red pepper flakes to the meatballs because we like spice. Otherwise followed it exactly. Yum!
I'm sure it would be great with kale, any greens would be fine.
I wanted to make this tomorrow, it sounds so good. But none of the grocery stores I went to had escarole. I got some kale, do you think it will be okay using that?
I'd love to get the pointsplus for this recipe–I've been looking for an italian wedding soup to make, and I'm gonna give this one a try. thanks!
Another awesome recipe, this was SO DELICIOUS. It's going into the weekly soup rotation 🙂
One of my favorite dishes…great recipe..love the pics!
You're welcome! Good for you!
Hi Gina,
Another delicious meal.I made this tonight really enjoyed every bite and it was filling too!!Where the weather here is chilly still the soup is good,
Thanks again Gina
and I lost 1.6lbs last week at ww.
Canada
@Claudia – Thanks for noticing that. The olive oil shouldn't be there, I copied this from my skinny meatball recipe which is fried first in the olive oil then cooked in sauce. But these are dropped into the soup. Thanks for noticing that, (which actually means the points are a little less) I'll need to recalculate that.
Dear Gina – thank you so much for these fabulous recipes – tonight I made the escarole and meatball soup – having grown up in an Italian kitchen I am very familiar with this soup and love the lighter version. One question though, the olive oil, I added it to the meatball mixture which I have never done before – normally I would actually add it to the soup liquid but it worked out really well.
Thanks again!
That would be perfect on a snowy night like tonight.
Absolutely delicious! I made this tonight…the meatballs are so tender and flavorful…I was sort of expecting the broth to be bland..but it was fantastic!
Thanks Gina!
This looks fabulous! I love Escarole Soup in the Fall and Winter. I can't wait to try this one!
Thanks for leaving a comment Dana. Enjoy!
I made this tonight, and I LOVED it!! I have joined WW for the LAST time and just found your website. I looked through all the recipes this weekend and can't wait to try them. Wonderful website!!!
I made this with the appetizer size pre-made turkey meatballs at the supermarket and it was absolutely delicous!
I’m not even on WW but I like to come here just for some low-fat recipes. I made the turkey meatballs for my tomato soup and they turned out great. I subbed parsley for tarragon and used shredded parm, turned out great.
Yummy! I made this for dinner tonight. The husband and I loved it! I added carrots and subbed spinach for the escarole. I wasn’t sure about the turkey meatballs, but they were great! Thanks Gina!
This soup looks soooooooooooo good!
I LOVE your blog!
Great blog; I’ll be visiting often. I’m a Lifetime WW far from goal, but struggling to get back. I love this soup and have made it often. Your chicken chili looks like a keeper, too.
Arlene- I wish you luck on your goal! I have to tell you that the recipes that I've found on this blog helped my husband and I not only reach but go beyond our WW goals. We have yet to make something that wasn't flavorful and easy to prepare (we need that with four kids!) and it's been a joy to try all of Gina's recipes. Good luck to you and happy cooking!