Italian Wedding Soup with Spinach Meatballs

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Italian Wedding Soup with Spinach Meatballs.  Cheese Tortellini, baby spinach and little bite-size meatballs are simmered for a few minutes, giving a twist to this classic Italian wedding soup!  This recipe is a spin on our mom’s classic “Italian Wedding Soup” as we knew it.

So we took our mother’s recipe for the Italian Wedding Soup and made a few minor changes, to make it easier and in less time – by eliminating a few steps in the cooking process.

For our recipe: 

These mini-meatballs are loaded with spinach, ground beef, eggs, and Parmesan cheese, then baked until fully cooked before dropping them into a simmered broth with cheese tortellini and fresh baby spinach.

The outcome turned out AMAZING!   … to say the least!

Our Italian wedding soup with spinach meatballs is big on flavor and very satisfying.  It makes the perfect meal for the whole family to enjoy.

Serve it with some crusty bread or enjoy it with a side of our many salads, like healthy apple bok choy salad to complete the meal.

Why We LOVE Our Version For This Italian Wedding Soup…

• we used cheese-filled tortellini, which give the broth it’s robust flavors.

• cheese tortellini cook up faster than regular pasta.

• fresh baby spinach sneaks in some healthy greens for your family.

• this soup is very adaptable, you can use beef broth, vegetable broth or chicken stock.

• our bite-size meatballs not only makes this soup fun to eat, but also hearty and filliing.

• it makes the perfect one dish meal, containing carbs, protein, and veggies.

• the soup is ready in about 30 minutes or so.

Our version of the Italian wedding soup with spinach meatballs is flavorful and satisfying.

The Story Behind our Mom’s Italian Wedding Soup…

Once you get the soup started, and the meatballs are fully baked, the rest is easy.

The final step is to toss in the spinach meatballs into the soup at the end of the cooking time, just before serving.

Italian Wedding Soup with Spinach Meatballs from start to finish takes about 30 minutes! 

This recipe will make plenty to store leftovers for you to enjoy for another weeknight meal, especially on the busy ones!

Try this recipe, it won’t disappoint!

ENJOY!!

*You can follow along on how to make the mini meatballs, or jump to the bottom of this post for our full recipe card.

Directions to Making Spinach Meatballs: (*full recipe card below!)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a large cooking sheet or Pyrex dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  In a food processor, or if mixing by hand, in a medium-size mixing bowl.  Add chop meat, breadcrumbs, chopped spinach, garlic powder, salt eggs, Parmesan, and Pecorino cheeses.

3.  Mix the meat mixture until it’s well combined.  Using a small espresso spoon to scoop up a small amount and place it into the palm of your hand.  Shape into a small ball, smaller than a quarter size.

4.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.  They can be placed close together, but not touching.

5.  Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are light brown and fully cooked.  Then transfer into the soup, along with the rest of the ingredients.

ENJOY!!

Don’t forget to PIN and Share!!  … thanks!

More Tasty Soups!

• Tuscan Escarole and Beans Soup

• Baby Lima Bean Soup

• White Bean Soup with Mini Meatballs

• Tuscan Tortellini Soup

Yield: 2 quarts

Italian Wedding Soup with Spinach Meatballs

Print

Italian Wedding Soup with Spinach Meatballs ~ Little bite-size meatballs loaded with spinach, meat, eggs, and Parmesan cheese, then baked before dropping them into a simmered broth with cheese tortellini and fresh baby spinach. Easy, delicious tasting and satisfying meal!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Spinach Meatballs

• 1 (10-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, excess water squeezed out
• 1/2 pound chopped ground beef
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 Tbsp. grated Pecorino cheese
• olive oil cooking spray

For Soup:

• 32 ounce chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 pound cheese tortellini
• 4 to 5 cups fresh baby spinach
• fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a large cooking sheet or Pyrex dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, or if mixing by hand, in a medium size mixing bowl.
3. Add chop meat, breadcrumbs, chopped spinach, garlic powder, salt eggs, Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses.
4. Mix the meat mixture until it's well combined. Using a small espresso spoon to scoop up a small amount and place into the palm of your hand. Shape into a small ball, smaller than a quarter size.
5. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. They can be placed close together, but not touching.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until they are light brown and fully cooked.
7. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, bring broth and water to a boil. Add cayenne pepper and tortellinis. Cook the tortellini according to the directions of the package, but undercook them 1 minute. Stir in the fresh spinach. Finally, add in the already baked mini spinach meatballs.
8. Taste the broth, and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
9. Ladle into individual soup bowls and serve. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese at the table. Stores leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days, or freezer for a future weekday meal.
10. Yields: 2 quarts, and about 65 mini spinach meatballs

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Happy Cooking and Baking! 🙂

Thanks for stopping by!

 xo Anna and Liz