The Easy Italian Soup I’m Making All Winter Long

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 combines tiny meatballs, hearty greens, and itty-bitty pasta to produce a filling, whole-meal soup, garnished with a flurry of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of good olive oil. Since it’s usually a labor of love, I don't make it often. But by introducing a clever shortcut I learned from one of my editors, I was able to make this comforting soup a weeknight-friendly recipe. Now I can’t stop making it.

The name Italian wedding soup is actually a mistranslation of the Italian “minestra maritata,” which is more accurately translated as “marriage soup” because of the marriage of meatballs and leafy greens. Any married person can tell you there’s a big difference between a wedding and a marriage. A wedding is a party—fun, carefree! A marriage is about finding balance and compromise.

This version of Italian wedding soup could more accurately be called Italian marriage soup because it compromises on the tedious task of making dozens of tiny meatballs by substituting Italian sausage and strikes a harmonious balance between the sausage, hearty greens, and little pasta called ditalini (which just happen to resemble wedding bands).

How To Make My Easy Italian Wedding Soup

This is not a traditional Italian wedding soup, and it’s best to accept that now. This version halves the cooking time by using pre-seasoned Italian sausage instead of handmade meatballs.

Start by rolling one-inch balls of Italian sausage, then sear them in olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Work in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Set the meatballs aside, and sauté chopped onions and garlic in the same pan until soft.

Add chicken stock and bring everything to a boil. Add the pasta and sausage balls and simmer, then add your greens and cook for a few minutes. I prefer escarole for its earthy bitterness, but spinach is a great quick-cooking choice here. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and lots of Parmesan cheese on top.

Tips for Making 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.

How To Make My Easy Italian Wedding Soup

For about 6 servings, you’ll need:

• 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

Roll the ground sausage into 1-inch “meatballs” and place on a plate. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the meatballs on all sides, working in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a plate and cover to keep warm.

In the same pot (don’t wipe it out), sauté the onion until it begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and soft, another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce to a simmer and add the pasta and browned meatballs. Simmer until the pasta is barely al dente according to the package directions, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally, ensuring the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Add the spinach and simmer until the spinach is dark and wilted and the pasta is cooked, another 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and taste. To serve, optionally drizzle with good-quality olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or cooled completely and frozen for up to one month.

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