With the help of your Instant Pot, you can make this hearty and delicious Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup in just about 1 hour. Packed full of nutritious ingredients, like ground chicken meatballs, veggies, and acini di pepe pasta, it'll warm you up from the inside out!
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Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
- Meatballs made with ground chicken! Just like these air fryer chicken meatballs, this Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup utilizes lean protein from ground chicken, making the soup a bit lighter, yet just as filling as others out there. The meatballs are packed with flavor from pesto, parmesan cheese, and other seasonings.
- Packed full of veggies! The soup itself is loaded with veggies, like carrots, celery, and spinach. It can be served as an appetizer just before a meal or eaten as a main dish.
- Can be made on stovetop or in the Instant Pot! Although the recipe is written for an instant pot, you can easily make this on the stovetop instead. After step #5, simply simmer the soup for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the acini di pepe and carrots cook through. Finish the soup by adding the spinach and parmesan cheese and serve warm.
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low sodium chicken broth to stay in control of the salt levels. You can also use low sodium vegetable broth if you have that on hand instead.
- Acini di Pepe: Acini di pepe is a small pasta that is traditionally used in Italian Wedding Soup. If you can't find acini di pepe, another small pasta shape would work instead.
- Ground Chicken: I prefer using ground chicken for this recipe because it is neutral in flavor, yet remains moist and juicy in the soup. However, if you prefer, you can also use ground turkey or ground pork.
- Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are used to bind the meatballs together. I like to use a plain breadcrumb and add my own seasonings, instead of buying pre-seasoned crumbs. If you only have panko, that should work too.
- Pesto: A store-bought basil pesto works well to add flavor to the meatballs. I like to buy my pesto in the refrigerated section because I feel it has a fresher flavor than the shelf-stable jarred kinds.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
- Step 1: Prep all ingredients, so they are ready to go into the instant pot when it’s time.
- Step 2: Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Form into 45 (2 teaspoon-sized) meatballs.
- Step 3: Set instant pot to the sauté setting. Add olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs in an even layer on the bottom of the pot, leaving plenty of space between each one. You may need to cook them in batches. Allow meatballs to cook for 3 minutes without touching them. They should lift easily from the pot. If they don’t, cook them for another minute or two until you can easily flip them. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pot and repeat with any remaining balls, removing them from the pot before moving on to the next step.
- Step 4: With the instant pot still on the sauté setting, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir to combine, scraping the brown bits on the bottom. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and the onion starts to turn translucent.
- Step 5: Turn off the sauté setting. Pour in chicken broth, acini di pepe, dried oregano, dried basil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Carefully add the meatballs back into the pot.
- Step 6: Cover the pot with the lid, set the valve to “seal”, and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes before flipping the valve to “vent” and manually releasing any remaining pressure.
- Step 7: Remove the lid and stir in the spinach and parsley until the spinach wilts.
- Step 8: Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top!
⭐️ Tip: Make sure to form the meatballs fairly small. You want them to be bite-sized so they're easy to eat with the other small ingredients in the soup.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Chicken Broth - If you don't have chicken broth, you can use low sodium vegetable broth instead.
- Acini di Pepe - If you can't find acini di pepe in the store, you can use orzo, ditalini, or another small pasta shape instead.
- Ground Chicken - I like ground chicken best, but ground turkey or ground pork would work too.
- To make this in a pot on the stove - Follow instructions as listed, cooking the meatballs in the bottom of a large oiled pot. Remove the meatballs, sauté the vegetables, and then after step #5, simply simmer the soup for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the acini di pepe and carrots cook through. Finish the soup by adding the spinach and parmesan cheese and serve warm.
- To make this gluten free - Use gluten free pasta and breadcrumbs!
- To make this dairy free - Use a plant based parmesan cheese and pesto!
How to Store Italian Wedding Soup
To store: Store Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Allow soup to cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container. Freeze Italian Wedding Soup for up to 6 months.
To reheat: Set soup in the fridge to defrost overnight. Pour into a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Top tip!
Make sure to scrape all of the brown bits on the bottom of the instant pot so you don’t get a burn warning while pressure cooking! As the vegetables soften, so will the brown bits on the bottom, making it easier to scrape them up.
Related Recipes
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
With the help of your Instant Pot, you can make this hearty and delicious Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup in just about 1 hour. Packed full of nutritious ingredients, like ground chicken meatballs, veggies, and acini di pepe pasta, it'll warm you up from the inside out!
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Servings: servings
Calories: 387kcal
Cost: $20
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup diced carrots (about 3 to 4 carrots)
- 1 cup sliced celery (about 2 celery ribs)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup acini di pepe (or other small pasta)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Grated parmesan cheese, for topping
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound (16 ounces) ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pesto
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients, so they are ready to go into the instant pot when it’s time.
- Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine. Form into 45 (2 teaspoon-sized) meatballs.
- Set instant pot to the sauté setting. Add olive oil. Once hot, add the meatballs in an even layer on the bottom of the pot, leaving plenty of space between each one. You may need to cook them in batches. Allow meatballs to cook for 3 minutes without touching them. They should lift easily from the pot. If they don’t, cook them for another minute or two until you can easily flip them. Flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove meatballs from the pot and repeat with any remaining balls, removing them from the pot before moving on to the next step.
- With the instant pot still on the sauté setting, add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir to combine, scraping the brown bits on the bottom. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables soften and the onion starts to turn translucent.
- Turn off the sauté setting. Pour in chicken broth, acini di pepe, dried oregano, dried basil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Carefully add the meatballs back into the pot.
- Cover the pot with the lid, set the valve to “seal”, and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release for 15 minutes before flipping the valve to “vent” and manually releasing any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and stir in the spinach and parsley until the spinach wilts.
- Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top!
Last step!Please consider leaving a review to let me know how you liked this recipe!
Notes
- Make sure to scrape all the brown bits on the bottom of the instant pot so you don’t get a burn warning while pressure cooking! As the vegetables soften, so will the brown bits on the bottom, making it easier to scrape them up.
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- To make this in a pot on the stove - Follow instructions as listed, cooking the meatballs in the bottom of a large oiled pot. Remove the meatballs, sauté the vegetables, and then after step #5, simply simmer the soup for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the acini di pepe and carrots cook through. Finish the soup by adding the spinach and parmesan cheese and serve warm.
- To make this gluten free - Use gluten free pasta and breadcrumbs!
- To make this dairy free - Use a plant based parmesan cheese and pesto!
Nutrition
Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 871mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6292IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 3mg
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Mike L. says
We had this amazing soup for dinner tonight. It provided a delicious, healthy and hearty meal on a cold winter night. A large bowl of this soup can be the centerpiece of your lunch or dinner. We cannot wait to have it again. Loved it!!
Alana Lieberman says
So glad you enjoyed this soup! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂
Joe Lavigne says
Fantastic recipe. Great flavors and easy to make. I doubled the recipe and my family loved it so much we still didn’t have leftovers and they were asking for more. Have already made this a couple times and will continue to do so. Thank you so much!
The website is great. Easy to follow instructions, as well as helpful hints for alternatives. The photography is fantastic and has all kinds of nice little touches that are so visually appealing. It’s a pleasure to browse and check out which of the delicious creations to try next. Thanks for such a wonderful resource!
Alana Lieberman says
Thank you for such a kind review! So happy you enjoyed this recipe and I look forward to seeing the next recipes you create.