Lazy Italian Wedding Soup
Craving Italian wedding soup but need a faster option? This lazy method skips the meatball prep, cutting down on time without losing any of that rich, comforting flavor. You’ll be enjoying a warm, hearty bowl of this classic soup in about half the time.

Why you’ll love this Italian wedding soup
Despite the name, this timeless soup is not served at Italian weddings; the word “wedding” is used to describe this soup because of the perfect marriage of flavors in the dish. We absolutely love this soup, but making it on a busy day can feel daunting. To simplify the process, we decided to skip the meatball-making step, and we’re thrilled with how much easier that made things!
If you like this recipe, you have to try this Italian pasta fazool, and this chicken pastina soup and this spaghetti soup.
Searching for more heartwarming recipes? chicken bolognese / pumpkin mac and cheese / garlic chicken parmesan / sausage tortellini soup

Ingredients & substitutions
- Italian sausage – Use you favorite style of Italian sausage, we opted for a traditional sweet Italian sausage and mixed it with ground beef for the perfect ratio and flavor.
- Dry white wine – This is option, adding some depth to the soup – if you want to replace with equal amounts of chicken stock or water that will be fine.
- Small pasta – We used acini di pepe, but orzo or pastina would work well for this soup. Anything that will stay tiny when it has absorbed the liquid.
- Kale – You can use either kale or fresh spinach for this recipe, whichever you prefer or have on hand.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this easy Italian wedding soup
Brown the meat. Heat some olive oil in a large dutch oven, over medium heat. Add in the meat, and break it up into big chunks (about the same size as a mini meatball). Let the meat cook until it’s browned and cooked through—should take around 5 minutes. The less you can move them around in the pan the better, this will help them brown.
Sautè the veggies. Toss in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Let everything sauté for about 5 minutes, until the veggies soften up and the onions become translucent. Add the liquids along with the salt and pepper, bring everything to a boil then turn down to simmer the soup. Let everything simmer for about 15 minutes.
Cook the pasta. Add the pasta and continue to simmer until pasta is tender. This will likely take a few minutes longer than the package will state, because we are not cooking it at a full boil. When the pasta is tender, add the kale and continue to cook until it has wilted.
Serve and enjoy. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding more salt and pepper if needed.


Lazy Italian Wedding Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Craving Italian wedding soup but need a faster option? Our lazy method skips the meatball prep, cutting down on time without losing any of that rich, comforting flavor. You’ll be enjoying a warm, hearty bowl of this classic soup in about half the time!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage (removed from casings if in links)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 celery stalks, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 6 cups chicken stock
- ¼ – ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup small pasta (acini di pepe or orzo)
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and thinly sliced (about 6 cups when chopped)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- For serving: grated cheese, crusty bread (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the meat. In a mixing bowl, gently combine the beef and sausage. Then, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the meat, breaking it into large pieces while it cooks. Sauté until browned and fully cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Sauté the veggies. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and the onions are translucent.
- Simmer the soup. Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.
- Cook the pasta: Add the pasta to the pot, along with 2 cups of water. Allow the soup to continue simmering until the pasta is tender.
- Add the greens. Stir in the kale, letting it wilt in the hot broth for about 2-3 minutes.
- Seasoning and serve. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt & pepper and ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with grated parmesan and crusty bread.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 581.8 mg
- Fat: 11.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.1 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 13.3 g
- Cholesterol: 38.5 mg

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