Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs is a hearty and nourishing soup loaded with flavor! Thanks to the turkey, this version is a bit lighter than traditional Italian Wedding Soup, but still every bit as delicious!
We adore traditional Italian Wedding Soup but sometimes we want something a little lighter, which in this case means replacing the pork and beef meatballs with turkey meatballs.
Turkey is leaner than beef and pork making it a great option for those following a diet lower in fat, but I promise you it’s every bit as delicious as the traditional version!
Carrots, celery, and onion combine with spinach, and escarole, in a delicious broth with tiny turkey meatballs for a super nourishing soup you’ll make again and again!
We love to serve Italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs with a simple green salad and our easy no knead focaccia.
How to make it
- Begin by dicing 1 medium onion, 2 carrots, and 2 celery ribs. About 3/4 to 1 cup of each. In a large soup pot saute the veggies in a 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-low heat for a few minutes.
- Chop the escarole into ribbons, thoroughly clean ( a salad spinner works well for this), and add to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes.
- To the pot, add 10 cups of low-sodium chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in a half-pound of acini di pepe pasta and cook until almost done.
- Add in the meatballs. We recommend using this Italian turkey meatball recipe of ours. They have a ton of flavor, are juicy, and go perfectly with this soup. Finally, add in the spinach and taste-test the soup. Add a 1/2 teaspoon or more of black pepper and salt to taste. If more liquid is needed just add a cup or two more of stock or water. Serve in bowls topped with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Top tips
- Turkey meatballs. The smaller the meatballs, the better when it comes to this soup. While our turkey meatball recipe shows larger meatballs, roll them as small as you’d like for the purposes of this soup. Dime sized to quarter sized are great.
- Pasta. If making turkey meatball Italian wedding soup ahead of time, you may wish to cook the acini di pepe separately, then add when serving to prevent the pasta from becoming to soft.
- Veggies. If you can’t find escarole, use more spinach or feel free to add any other greens you’d like. Kale and swiss chard would also be great here.
- Use homemade stock. If possible, use homemade chicken stock for optimal flavor, otherwise, use stock made from a low-sodium chicken base, such as Better Than Bouillon.
More hearty soup recipes
- Chicken noodle soup with tiny meatballs – Similar recipe but with chicken thigh meat, farfalline pasta, and beef and pork meatballs.
- Italian lentil soup – Classic recipe with lentils, veggies, a parmesan rind, and a bunch of spinach to brighten it up.
- Spicy sausage potato and kale soup – Comforting soup with kale, beans, potatoes, and sausage.
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Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
For the soup
- 8 ounces acini di pepe pasta
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 large celery ribs diced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- kosher salt to taste
- 10 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 bunch escarole washed and chopped
- 1 bunch spinach
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil
for the meatballs
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 medium onion grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan grated
- 1/2 cup basil chopped
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the turkey meatballs (If using storebought or premade meatballs move on to the soup instructions.)
- Preheat oven to 375f and set rack to middle of oven.
- Combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, grated onion, basil, parsley, parmesan, milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
- Gently mix all the ingredients and form small meatballs (about the size of a quarter). Wet hands with oil or water between rolling to avoid meat sticking to hands.
- Bake the meatballs on a parchment paper lined or wire rack baking tray until cooked to an internal temperature of 165f. The small meatballs should take approximately 15-20 minutes to cook. Makes roughly 40-60 meatballs
For the soup
- In a large pot saute carrots, onion, and celery in a 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Next, add in the cleaned and chopped escarole and cook for 3-5 minutes more.
- Add 10 cups of low sodium chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in the acini di pepe pasta and cook until almost finished.
- Add in the meatballs and heat through until warm. Finally, add in the spinach leaves and taste test the soup. Add a 1/2 teaspoon or more of pepper and kosher salt to taste. Serve with grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!
Notes
- The full Italian turkey meatballs recipe can be found here. The original recipe was for full sized meatballs. The only modification made in this recipe was to make them smaller and reduce the cooking time.
- Small turkey meatballs are excellent in this soup. The diameter of a quarter is a great size to shoot for.
- If required add more liquid and to personal preference. Extra chicken stock or water can be used.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave or reheat on stove top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious!
Great instructions, thank you.
Hi Diane, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed!
I made the soup per your recipe however, I was unable to find a nice escarole. I substituted with a fresh organic Lacinato Kale. The meatballs made the size of a quarter were the bomb. Overall, it was the best Italian Wedding Soup I have ever eaten. Thanks for sharing! Steve
Hi Steve, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the wedding soup and really appreciate the comment and review!
Best soup ever!
So happy you enjoyed this one, Christine!
This may be my favorite soup of all time….thanks Jim!
Hi Bruce, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the wedding soup!
Absolutely fabulous 👌 👏
Hi Jennifer, so happy you enjoyed the recipe and really appreciate the comment!
Just love his recipes. So easy.
Thanks for the comment Monica, and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Loved this so much. Was absolutely delicious. Made many of your recipes. And never disappoint. Thank you.🤗
Hi Denise, so happy you enjoyed the wedding soup and thanks for the comment!
I like to make a “soup of the week” for work. I pinned this recipe a while ago and decided to make it. It is absolutely delicious!! Everyone loved it, not sure I will get many “lunches” out of it… it may not last long enough!
Hi Patty, I’m so happy to hear you liked this one! Thanks for the comment!
This soup was outstanding! Grocery store did not have ground turkey (really?) so I used a lb. of meatloaf mix and mmmm good! This did not take very long with making the meatballs and soup. Your recipes are solid, Italian family goodness.
Thank you for sharing and bringing good food to our kitchens.
Hi Sandy, thank you for the comment and so happy you liked the wedding soup recipe!
Made your Lentil soup recipe last week and it was amazing! Made this one tonite and equally out of this world! A definite keeper!! I had collards in the garden and some kale so used those vs the other greens this time. (And I got about 150 little meatballs from the recipe which was great – one in each spoonful! Haha!) You are right up there with my hero’s Julia and Ina!! Thank you!!
Hi Debbie, thanks for the wonderful comment, and I’m flattered you’d put me in the same sentence with Julia and Ina! I’m so happy you enjoyed the lentil soup and the wedding soup!
We gave it a perfect score but added a pound of spinach. Big fan and have catalogued about 18 of your recipes. Please keep them coming.
Hi Bill, I’m glad to hear you liked the wedding soup. I appreciate the comment!
I made this today and it turned out so tasty, it was amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Hi Michele, I’m so glad you liked the wedding soup! Thank you for the comment!
This wedding soup was better than anything I’ve had in any restaurant. It was awesome. Your instructions make it so easy to make happen with the step by step pictures and possible alternative ingredients. I used Swiss chard for escarole and bought frozen mini meatballs to save time. I’ve started using the DeCecco brand pasta based on your recommendation and see a real taste and quality improvement. I ran out of Better than Bouillon so had to use half that and half Knorr granulated chicken stock. I made sure to add NO salt to the dish due to the stock and cheese but did use pepper for balance. Cooked everything else per your recipe directions. Perfection! The family gave it a 10 out of 10!
The next day the pasta swelled up in the remaining soup juices. I can add some bottled Swanson chicken broth without diluting the flavor cause I have plenty veggies and meatballs left and stretch this out to serve another day’s meal. That’s money well spent! Love your recipes and your style!
Hi Diane, thanks for the wonderful comment and I’m so happy you enjoyed the wedding soup, and that you find the recipe and instructions to be helpful!
I recently began to watch all your YouTube videos. I was so inspired by the simplicity of your recipes, and how delicious they all look, that I was inspired to try them one at a time. I never really liked cooking before, maybe because I didn’t feel that I am very good at it, and I don’t like how time consuming it is, only to end with so-so results, or my usual disasters.
Your videos seemed easy to make and gave me hope to try. So, each day, I have made one of your recipes, and my husband and daughter has given them each a 10!! They are SO impressed with my cooking now, and it felt so good to feel more comfortable cooking. I actually enjoyed making your recipes, They are fun to make and the results are awesome. My family now actually asks me to make your recipes again. Wow!
Your recipes are as easy to accomplish, just as you tell your viewers they are, and they are just as delicious!
Thank you for giving me hope in being a good cook and enjoy it too. I know my family certainly appreciates you imparting your wisdom, recipes and support to others.
P.S. Our family really enjoys your sons reviews and ratings! He’s such an awesome kid.
Hi Susan, I really appreciate this comment and am so happy you and your family are enjoying the food. Most importantly, I’m so happy that you’re feeling more comfortable with cooking – that is really what I am trying to help my viewers accomplish. Thank you for watching the videos and keep on cooking!
Excellent soup. I made a half recipe and used home made chicken stock and since I have a plethora of baby Bok Choy 🥬 I used them in place of the spinach.
Hi Mike, thanks for the comment and I love the addition of baby bok choy!
Hi Jim,
Do you have any desserts or breakfast ideas? Made sereral of your receipes, and all were a hit. Also got alot of good tips which I was not doing right. My husband and I are from New Jersey and know good food and miss certain foods we can’t get, so I appreciate you and cook alot.
thank-you,
Donna
Hi Donna, thank you for the comment and I totally understand missing the food you’re accustomed to! I do have a breakfast and brunch category on the site but we’ve only got a few recipes so far, but planning to add more. Two good ones on there are lemon blueberry french toast and eggs in purgatory. And there’s also the bacon egg and cheese and pepper and egg sandwiches. As far as desserts go, we are planning to put out more dessert recipes in the Fall (Christmas cookies, and a few others). I hope this helps!
I’ve tried so many of your delicious recipes. Thank you for sharing your videos.
Hi, Phyllis, thank you so much and I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipes and videos!
THE MEATBALLS ARE FABULOUS AND SO EASY TO MAKE. I USE A SMALL OR 1OZ SCOOP TO FORM THEM AND THEY CAME OUT PERFECT. IT MADE 80 BALLS. I THINK I WILL USE A BIGGER PASTA NEXT TIME. WHEN THE SOUP WAS DONE AND JUST I ADDED 2 LARGE TLB OF BETTER THAN BOULIAN TO ADD SOME MORE FLAVOR. YUMMY
Hi Emily. Glad the recipe was a hit.
Your soup was a big hit! Meatballs were very tasty! I did add more stock, later, and some Parmesan rinds during the cooking of the stock. I send that Sicilian gesture of the mouth kissing all the fingers, mwah! Thank you!
Hi Laurie. Really glad you enjoyed it.
This tasted excellent. Enjoyed this recipe and very easy. Even made the Turkey meatballs per your recipe and I made them slightly big but they were truly delicious. Thank you!
Really glad you enjoyed the recipe. It’s fine to make the meatballs bigger as they can easily be broken up. Thanks for the comment!
I just made your soup 🤤 I love most everything you post. I changed it it up a bit so it’s probably not the traditional wedding soup. I used half sausage and half beef for meatballs, then I used my homemade chicken broth. I also decided to try my homemade sourdough fettuccine noodles instead of the traditional ones. I added fresh garlic to the onions, carrots and celery and I added heavy cream to the soup at the end😬 it was amazing 🤩