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!

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Diabetic, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 15

Venting Time 15

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 387kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

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!

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.
- 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