Easy and Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
This easy and healthy Italian Wedding soup is a crowd pleaser. It’s the perfect comfort food, but makes you feel amazing when you eat it.
A Note From Teri on Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding Soup has a special place in my heart. It’s that dish you crave when you want something warm, nourishing, and deeply satisfying. With delicious meatballs, greens, and the most flavorful broth, it’s a soup that feels like a hug in a bowl. This is my Whole30 and low carb friendly spin on this timeless favorite. It’s simple, wholesome, and absolutely delicious.
My favorite shortcut to deliciousness in this recipe is using sausage to make your meatballs. It’s a simple hack that makes things so much easier than crafting your own.
How to Temper Your Egg
This recipe is simple, but at the end it requires a bit of finesse. When adding the eggs, you must whisk thoroughly. Then, take a bit of the soup broth and slowly add it to the eggs while whisking. This gradually introduces the temperature to the eggs to avoid them scrambling. Then you can slowly add this egg mixture back into your soup while stirring to get that perfect silky texture.
Ingredients
- Spicy Italian sausage
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Finely diced yellow onion
- Chopped garlic
- Chopped leeks
- Diced carrots
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes
- Chicken stock
- Lemon juice
- Chopped kale
- Large eggs
- Parsley
Variations
If you don’t eat ground pork, you can make your meatballs with any ground meat, like ground beef or chicken. Ground turkey also works, but I just do not find it as delicious. If you are making your own meatball mixture, you could also add some fresh herbs and panko breadcrumbs to the mixture. For your vegetables, you could certainly switch things up depending on what you have on hand. In place of kale, you could try escarole or spinach. If you don’t have leeks, you could use celery. It will not recreate the same flavor but could be delicious.
If you do not need this recipe to be low carb, you could add a small pasta like acini de pepe, orzo, ditalini or pastina. Pearl couscous is also a good option. Cook the pasta until tender, then add it to your soup.
How to Make This Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Make Your Meatballs and Saute Vegetables
Make 1.5 inch meatballs out of the sausage. In a large Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the tablespoon of olive oil and cook the meatballs on medium heat until done, about 10 minutes total. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil and drippings in the pan.
Over medium to medium-high heat, add the diced onions, garlic, leeks and carrots to the oil and drippings and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the teaspoon of basil, oregano and the crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
Add Chicken Broth and Simmer
Add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Put the chopped kale and cooked meatballs in the soup. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Turn off heat.
Using a fork, beat the eggs. Then, in a circular motion, gently pour the beaten eggs over the soup. Garnish the soup with parsley and parmesan cheese if desired. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers of Italian Wedding soup in an airtight container such as a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat over the stove until warmed through.
To freeze your soup, fill tempered glass mason jars two thirds of the way. You must leave space in order to avoid cracking. Allow soup to fully cool before putting in the freezer. Freeze for up to three months. When you are ready to enjoy, defrost in the fridge overnight and then reheat on the stove.
Try These Other Soup Recipes
If you make this Italian Wedding soup recipe, be sure to rate and review the recipe to let me know what you think. And if you want to follow along, head to Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest for more inspiration!
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Easy and Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 5-6 servings
Description
Whether you are on Whole30 or not, this soup is an absolute crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of spicy Italian pork sausage
- 1 ½ Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 finely diced onion
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- 2 cups chopped leeks
- 3 carrots, diced small
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
- 10 cups of chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cups coarsely chopped kale
- 2 eggs, beaten well
- Parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Make meatballs out of the sausage (about 1.5 inch big). In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and cook the meatballs on medium heat until done, about 10 minutes total. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil and drippings in the pan.
- Over medium heat, add the diced onions, garlic, leeks and carrots to the oil and drippings and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add basil, oregano and the crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.
- Add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Put the chopped kale and cooked meatballs in the soup. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Turn off heat.
- Using a fork, beat the eggs. Then, in a circular motion, gently pour the beaten eggs over the soup. Garnish the soup with parsley if desired. Salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 307
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 718.9 mg
- Fat: 14.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.3 g
- Protein: 15.7 g
- Cholesterol: 80.2 mg
Approximately how many servings does this make? Planning to make it this weekend to kick off my first whole30. Cannot wait. Italian Wedding is one my favorite soups.
I would say maybe 6 large servings, but it totally depends if you’re serving it on its own or as a side dish.
Is there something else I can use for the eggs? Or just omit them? This sounds divine but have an egg allergy. Ty!
It’s tough because it gives it to creaminess… But what I would do is make my pistachio pesto and then add a spoonful at the end at the table just to give it some extra richness
we made this once before, and loved it so much we are making again for a large crowd tomorrow, doubling the batch.
Can’t wait to try it! But one question can I use spinach instead of kale.
I didn’t have leeks, but I did have 3 small zucchini that I used instead and it was just awesome! I love the addition of the egg for a thickener. Also note, my meatballs were sticking and falling apart so I put the second batch into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes and scraped the drippings into the soup pot before I cooked the veggies. Not ideal, but I made it work. Thanks for the great recipe!!
had to make a ton of adjustments and it still turned out fabulous! thank you for this easy, yummy recipe!
Thank you so much… It’s so freaking delicious
I’ve made a lot of variations of Italian Wedding Soup but none was ever as flavorful as this recipe. Leeks, carrots and kale are all in season at my local farmers market so the veggies were super fresh. The egg swirl at the end is brilliant and adds the perfect color to the broth. When a soup is this perfect adding cheese or pasta is unnecessary.
Sorry, forgot the stars in the last post. I’d give it 10 stars:)
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This was absolutely wonderful with such an amazing flavor! Thank you for sharing this recipe and I am definitely going to make this often
I LOVE this soup! So flavorful and you don’t even miss the pastina noddle or parmigiana in the traditional Italian wedding. It’s a definite let’s go moment! Make this soup January whole 30 crew or not!
Thanks so much
I am really enjoying mine
Made this today and it was perfect Teri!! Thank you for this lovely recipe! Your cookbook arrived this week and I can’t wait to try more recipes!
It’s a favorite for me too… Thank you so much for the beautiful feedback
Love this recipe!
thanks love
Absolutely love this recipe. Flavor is awesome! My only question is about the eggs- mine kind of curdled – is this what’s supposed to happen? And will it still stay good in the fridge with the eggs in it? Thanks so much?
that’s absolutely fine if it happens and you can just stir it all up… It’s kind of like egg drop any adds to the creaminess of the overall dish . It’s absolutely going to stay fine in the fridge
Any idea what the carb count would be in this? Would it be considered keto friendly?
Amy thanks for asking. i don’t know the carb count. Sorry i can’t be more helpful
First time making Italian Wedding soup and your recipe was delicious. Making mini meatballs out of sausage. Genius! Will be making again. Used Hatch Chili sausages to add a little spicy to the soup. All of my NCL recipes are always wonderful.
Thanks so much Paula
This was so good and my kids loved it as well! I loved the lemon in it and I added cauliflower rice to the broth
I think that’s a beautiful thing. Can absolutely change the vegetables depending on the season. I love the kale because the soup does well with such a hearty green
Recently i made an update to the recipe. It’s lovely as it is, but I tempered the egg before adding it to the soup. I first gently beat the egg in a bowl and then slowly added a cup or two of my broth (from the pot of soup ) to the egg and continually wisked it. Once I got done whisking it in slowly. Then I slowly added the egg to the pot of soup..It gives it an extra creamy richness
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This was absolutely delicious!!! My husband has claimed that it is the best soup I have EVER made, and I consider myself to be a reasonably good cook…..but this was really that good. I was hesitant about the egg, but don’t be…it really did add to the dish. I’m making it again tonight, but it is THAT good! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!!!
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LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup!!!! So satisfying too. Had some leftover brown rice and added it to my bowl of soup too. Delicious!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was *SO* good. It was so filling. I’ll be making this again.
A few things I encountered that may be useful to other folks…. I had to make the meatballs in two batches, my dutch oven, while deep, wasn’t really wide enough to cook all the meatballs at once. This adds to the cooking time. Also – I wasn’t sure how many leeks or how much kale to get. And I know this may all vary – but 2 large leek stalks came out to two cups, and one kale bunch was just exactly 4 cups. (Your mileage may vary)
It’s funny when you re-find a recipe that sounds really good… only to discover your own comment where you made it 2.5 years ago. 😀 Looking forward to making this again for my lunch this week.
Made this without the eggs due to an allergy, but it was still sooooo delicious. Adding to the soup season rotation. It is bright, fresh, and cozy all at the same time. Thanks Terri for another great recipe! ??
Delicious. My eggs ended up a little ‘scrambled’, but it didn’t matter!
This was so good.
I am going to make this soup; however, I wondering if it will freeze well?
Any time you’re trying to freeze vegetables and onions, it’s not going to be spectacular in my opinion. It’s much better fresh.
Can I make this with ground beef instead of sausage?
definitely!
What’s your go to store bought chicken broth you use as base for your soups?
This was delicious , just the right amount of heat with the spicy sausage and red pepper flakes . It had so much flavor , from the fond after sautéing the meatballs and the addition of the eggs – so good! My husband who does not like cooked kale loved it ! Thank you !
This is soup is absolutely incredible! Thank YOU for posting recipes on Instagram that lead us to this beautiful array of delicious recipes! ? I have cooked so many of dishes, sides, salads + dressings!
Soup is delicious however, the egg cooked when I poured it in ????
Soup is delicious however, the egg cooked when I poured it in ????
What a fabulous recipe. I made this today and it is satisfying and good enough to groan. Thank you for sharing it!
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This soup honestly sounds like the kind of comfort food that brings people together, especially for family dinners or gatherings where everyone just wants something warm and familiar. I’ve noticed that food like this often ends up being part of small moments that matter, whether it’s cooking for someone you care about or sharing a meal that sparks conversation. A lot of girls and guys I know say some of their best dating memories started around food, not fancy plans, just real connection that slowly turns into relationships. It’s funny how those simple things can lead to bigger stories, and I’ve seen people mention meeting across cultures too, sometimes through places like cupid.com international, where girls and guys connect first and later build shared traditions like cooking together.