Instant pot Italian wedding soup is the perfect bowl of comfort! It’s jam packed with little pearls of pasta, a whole bunch of spinach, flavorful Italian herbs and seasonings, and hearty meatballs. Plus, it’s healthy, quick to throw together, and super easy to make! Whether you’re feeling under the weather, it’s a cold dreary day, or you just need a delicious recipe to feed your friends and family, this soup can do it all!
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📋 About the Recipe
Instant pot Italian wedding soup, or Italian meatball soup, is a hearty and nutritious meal all on its own! It has many of the same healing qualities as traditional chicken noodle soup, but is packed full of Italian-inspired flavor. Made with lots of vegetables, tender and juicy meatballs, and clear chicken broth, this soup is as good for you as it is delicious!
You can throw together a batch of soup in less than 30 minutes, and even quicker if you use frozen meatballs instead of making your own from scratch. Though it’s possible, but not recommended! The light and fluffy homemade chicken meatballs truly make this version of Italian wedding soup stand out from all the rest.
This soup is great served as a family dinner, quick and healthy lunch, or simple appetizer. You can easily size it up to feed a larger crowd or make it just as instructed. Though, I do highly recommend making extra and freezing it because you never know when you’re going to feel under the weather and need to heat up a delicious “pick-me-up” kind of soup!
Looking for some other Instant Pot or Crockpot recipe ideas? Try these!
🛒 Ingredients
For the Soup
For the Meatballs
A few notes about the ingredients:
- I love using ground chicken because of its texture and flavor. You can also use ground turkey, ground pork, or a combination of any of these 3 meats. If you want to keep the soup light and healthy, I would generally stay away from using ground beef for this recipe, as it could make the broth greasy and weigh everything down.
- Acini di pepe are really tiny pearls of pasta. When they cook, they puff up a bit. If you have trouble finding them in the pasta aisle of your grocery store, you can substitute with israeli couscous, pastina, or orzo instead.
📓 Instructions
1. Prepare all of your ingredients so that they are ready to go into the instant pot when it’s time.
2. Make the meatballs: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp parsley, salt, pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Scoop, separate, and roll the mixture into 1 to 2 tbsp-sized meatballs. (I had about 26 meatballs. You might have a bit more or less depending on their size.)
3. Set your instant pot or pressure cooker to the “saute” setting. Allow it to heat up for about a minute, then add in 2 tbsp of olive oil. Carefully swirl the oil around so it coats the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the meatballs to the pot. Try not to overcrowd them. You can cook them in batches if you need to. Allow the meatballs to cook for about 3 minutes without touching them. After 3 minutes, try lifting them from the pot. If they are stuck, let them cook for another minute or two. The meatballs will release from the pot once they are perfectly golden brown.
5. Flip the meatballs over and allow them to brown the same way on the other side. When done, remove them from the pot and place them on a clean plate.
6. With your pot still on the sauté setting, add in the other 2 tbsp of olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, other 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tbsp parsley. Use the vegetables to scrape the chicken scraps from the bottom of the pot. (If you don’t scrape the pot properly, it will stop mid-cooking and give you a burn warning!) Stir and cook until the carrots soften a bit and the onions start to become translucent.
7. Turn off the saute setting. Add back in the meatballs, along with the chicken broth, oregano, basil, acini di pepe, salt, and pepper. Gently give everything a stir, being careful not to break apart the meatballs.
8. Cover the pot with the lid and set the valve to “seal.” 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.
9. Remove the lid and gently stir in the spinach until it wilts.
10. Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top and a side of your favorite crusty bread!
🔍 FAQs
It is very similar to chicken noodle soup. However, what sets it apart is it’s 2 main characteristics: soft and tender meatballs and small acini de pepe pasta. With a base of chicken broth, Italian herbs and seasonings, and a mix of onions, carrots, and celery, it’s a pretty basic soup. The meatballs in this recipe are made using ground chicken and you’ll often find different combinations of ground meat in other recipes. As well, the pearls of acini de pepe act more as a “part” of the broth, instead of the star of the show, unlike in other noodle soups that often call for much larger egg noodles.
No, this soup is not traditionally served at Italian weddings and that’s actually a common misconception due to its English translation. In Italian, it’s called “minestra maritata” which translates literally to “married soup.” This title refers to the soup’s marriage and harmony of flavors between the leafy greens and the hearty meats.
The more Americanized version of the soup, often uses less greens, where the Italian version is packed full of them. Bitter greens such as chard, kale, and chicory are often common. And interestingly, traditionally, this soup is nothing fanciful as it has historically been thought of as a “peasant soup” and a way to use up any leftover meats and vegetables. However, American versions make it with ground meat turned into meatballs instead of using leftover bits of meat.
Yes, this instant pot Italian wedding soup freezes really well. Simply allow it to cool completely before spooning it into airtight freezer-safe containers. Place the soup in the freezer and it should last about 6 months. To reheat the soup, allow it to defrost overnight and pour it into a pot over medium heat on the stove to warm through.
This soup is great on its own, but if you’d prefer to serve it as an appetizer or side dish, you can pair it with almost anything! It’s excellent with a side of garlic toast, italian stuffed zucchini, and an antipasto salad. Or pair it with some homemade mushroom, sausage, and arugula pizza!
Yes, you can definitely make this instant pot Italian wedding soup on the stove. Instead of using a pressure cooker, place a large stock pot over medium heat. Follow the general instructions listed in the recipe, using this as a basic guide: Brown the meatballs at the bottom of the pot, remove them, and sauté the vegetables. Add the meatballs back in, along with the other ingredients listed in step 7. Bring the soup to a low boil and cook for about 9 minutes, or until the pasta becomes tender. Then lastly, add in the spinach.
💭 One More Tip
If your instant pot or pressure cooker doesn’t have a saute setting, you can bake the meatballs, onions, carrots, and celery in the oven before adding them to the pot. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the vegetables on the pan and very lightly drizzle them with olive oil. Then, place the meatballs on top. Cook all together in the oven for about 15 minutes, checking on the vegetables every so often to make sure they don’t burn.
🍴 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
Equipment
- instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
- 6 cups chicken broth or broth and water combination
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ cup acini di pepe or other small pasta (see notes)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6 to 8 oz baby spinach
- freshly shredded parmesan cheese for garnishing
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken (see notes for substitutes)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare all of your ingredients so that they are ready to go into the instant pot when it’s time.
- Make the meatballs: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp parsley, salt, pepper, and 2 minced garlic cloves. Scoop, separate, and roll the mixture into 1 to 2 tbsp-sized meatballs. (I had about 26 meatballs. You might have a bit more or less depending on their size.)
- Set your instant pot or pressure cooker to the “sauté” setting. (See notes if you don't have a "sauté setting.) Allow it to heat up for about a minute, then add in 2 tbsp of olive oil. Carefully swirl the oil around so it coats the bottom of the pot.
- Add the meatballs to the pot. Try not to overcrowd them. You can cook them in batches if you need to. Allow the meatballs to cook for about 3 minutes without touching them. After 3 minutes, try lifting them from the pot. If they are stuck, let them cook for another minute or two. The meatballs will release from the pot once they are perfectly golden brown.
- Flip the meatballs over and allow them to brown the same way on the other side. When done, remove them from the pot and place them on a clean plate.
- With your pot still on the sauté setting, add in the other 2 tbsp of olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, other 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tbsp parsley. Use the vegetables to scrape the chicken scraps from the bottom of the pot. (If you don’t scrape the pot properly, it will stop mid-cooking and give you a burn warning!) Stir and cook until the carrots soften a bit and the onions start to become translucent.
- Turn off the sauté setting. Add back in the meatballs, along with the chicken broth, oregano, basil, acini di pepe, salt, and pepper. Gently give everything a stir, being careful not to break apart the meatballs.
- Cover the pot with the lid and set the valve to “seal.” 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 gently stir in the spinach until it wilts.
- Serve soup hot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top and a side of your favorite crusty bread!
Notes
- I love using ground chicken because of its texture and flavor. You can also use ground turkey, ground pork, or a combination of any of these 3 meats. If you want to keep the soup light and healthy, I would generally stay away from using ground beef for this recipe, as it could make the broth greasy and weigh everything down.
- Acini di pepe are really tiny pearls of pasta. When they cook, they puff up a bit. If you have trouble finding them in the pasta aisle of your grocery store, you can substitute with israeli couscous, pastina, or orzo instead.
- This instant pot Italian wedding soup freezes really well. Simply allow it to cool completely before spooning it into airtight freezer-safe containers. Place the soup in the freezer and it should last about 6 months. To reheat the soup, allow it to defrost overnight and pour it into a pot over medium heat on the stove to warm through.
- If your instant pot or pressure cooker doesn’t have a sauté setting: you can bake the meatballs, onions, carrots, and celery in the oven before adding them to the pot. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the vegetables on the pan and very lightly drizzle them with olive oil. Then, place the meatballs on top. Cook all together in the oven for about 15 minutes, checking on the vegetables every so often to make sure they don’t burn.
- To make this soup on the stove: Instead of using a pressure cooker, place a large stock pot over medium heat. Follow the general instructions listed in the recipe, using this as a basic guide: Brown the meatballs at the bottom of the pot, remove them, and sauté the vegetables. Add the meatballs back in, along with the other ingredients listed in step 7. Bring the soup to a low boil and cook for about 9 minutes, or until the pasta becomes tender. Then lastly, add in the spinach.
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