Favorite Italian Wedding Soup

Total Time

Prep: 30 min. Cook: 45 min.

Makes

10 servings (2-1/2 quarts)

Updated: Oct. 02, 2022
I enjoyed a similar soup for lunch at work one day and decided to re-create it at home. I love the combination of meatballs, vegetables and pasta.

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) beef broth
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix
  • 4-1/2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine eggs and bread crumbs. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well. Shape into 3/4-in. balls.
  2. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink.
  3. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the carrots, celery and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, spinach, basil, soup mix, ketchup, thyme and bay leaves.
  4. Drain meatballs on paper towels. Bring soup to a boil; add meatballs. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add pasta; cook 13-15 minutes longer or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 379 calories, 24g fat (8g saturated fat), 107mg cholesterol, 1016mg sodium, 20g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 21g protein.