Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs is a healthy, hearty soup made with tender garlicky turkey meatballs, farro, white beans, and baby kale. A cozy bowl of this lean and nutritious soup will warm you right up.
Italian wedding soup is a simple dish that originates from Naples, Italy. It traditionally consists of a green vegetable, such as spinach, meat, Italian parsley, and chicken broth. This soup also contains legumes, pastina, like acini di pepe, carrots, and cheese. Its name comes from the delicious taste the marriage of flavors creates.
Healthy Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs keeps the integrity of the classic Italian wedding soup flavor with a healthy twist. Farro replaces the orzo and lean turkey replaces the pork meatballs. This is a delicious healthy soup that does not sacrifice flavor!
Ingredients to make Italian Wedding Soup
- Chicken broth - Clear chicken broth is the soup base for Italian wedding soup. It offers a light and savory flavor that does not overwhelm the palate. The broth is flavored with vegetable and meat ingredients.
- Cannellini beans - Cannellini beans, also known as white beans, are common in Italian soups, such as minestrone. They add a nutty flavor and smooth texture to the dish and are a great source of fiber.
- Baby kale - Baby kale is a tender green that contains fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins, like iron. It is easy to digest compared to regular kale and adds a bright green flavor to the wedding soup. Substitute baby kale with baby spinach or escarole.
- Farro - Farro is a nutritious ancient grain with nutty flavor. It contains magnesium and zinc and is a healthy substitute for pastina and rice. It has a tender, al dente texture similar to barley. Substitute farro for pastina, such as acini di pepe, for a more traditional wedding soup.
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
- Heat the oven for the meatballs - Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook the soup base and vegetables - In a large dutch oven or pot, add broth, minced garlic, onion, carrots, salt, and pepper. Allow the soup to cook with the lid on at low-medium heat for 40 minutes until the onions and carrots are tender.
- Cook the farro - While the soup base cooks, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add farro. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender and al dente. Then drain the water and set the farro aside. To cook farro in a rice cooker, use a 3 cup water to 1 cup farro ratio.
- Make the meatballs - While the soup and farro cook, combine ground turkey, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, panko, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently toss with your hands and break up the meat until evenly mixed. Then use your hands to roll and shape 1-inch meatballs. This turkey mix yield about 24 meatballs. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil, place raw meatballs on the baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
- Combine ingredients in the soup - Once the carrots in your soup base are tender and the farro and meatballs are cooked, add the drained beans, baby kale, and turkey meatballs to the pot of soup. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy - Evenly distribute the farro and soup in bowls. Serve hot with parmesan cheese.
Equipment to Make Soup
Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs requires a few kitchen essentials, all of which can be used for many other common recipes. To make this soup, you will need a knife, cutting board, medium pot or dutch oven. This particular recipe features our favorite Staub Coq Au Vin Dutch Oven.
For the Oven Turkey Meatballs, you will need a mixing bowl, like this glass mixing bowl set, and baking sheet.
To explore more kitchen items to make your kitchen complete, head to our Kitchen Essentials Shop.
How to Make Tender Turkey Meatballs
The best turkey meatballs are tender, moist, and full of flavor. These turkey meatballs have it all, plus a garlicky flavor that pairs perfectly with the Italian Wedding Soup.
To make tender turkey meatballs, use a half cup of breadcrumbs and one egg for every one pound of ground meat. This ratio allows the turkey to bind and retain moisture without tasting dry. For breadcrumbs, use panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs, or Italian breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs can be used interchangeably to bind the meat.
Turkey meatballs are only as good as the seasoning and herbs you add to them. These meatballs get their flavor from fresh garlic, Italian parsley, salt, pepper, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The ingredients come together beautifully and add even more flavor to the soup. If you don't have fresh garlic, use 1 teaspoon for every clove of garlic as a substitute.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Storing soup is incredibly easy. After you make the soup, store cooled leftovers in an air-tight container or in the pot you cooked it in with the lid on in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can store the soup in smaller containers for meal prep.
Important note: store the farro, pastina, or rice in a separate container from the soup. These ingredients are highly absorbent and will absorb all of the soup if left in the same container for a long period of time.
To reheat the soup, transfer leftovers into a pot. Heat the soup on medium heat and occasionally stir.
Common Ingredient Substitutes and Variations
There are plenty of substitutes you can make for an equally delicious soup, including the following:
- Leafy greens - Instead of baby kale, try baby spinach, escarole, chopped Swiss chard, or chopped and massaged kale.
- Legumes - Instead of cannellini beans, use lentils, navy beans, barlotti beans (cranberry beans), or great northern beans. Opt for legumes with mild flavors and tender meat.
- Meatballs - For non-turkey fans, opt for meatballs made with ground chicken, ground pork, or ground beef.
- Breadcrumbs - If you don't have panko, use Italian breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs instead. You can also use a mix of both.
- Farro - For a more traditional Italian Wedding Soup, use pastina, like acini di pepe, ditalini, or orzo. For a gluten-free option, opt for rice, like Japanese rice or arborio.
More Cozy Soup and Chili Recipes
For more cozy soup and chili recipes, check out:
- Healthy Turkey Chili
- Cozy Classic Beef Stew
- Tomato Soup with Cauliflower Gnocchi Dumplings
- Easy Cuban Black Bean Soup
Italian Wedding Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
Soup
- 4 quarts chicken broth
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium carrots cut into quarter slices
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 4 15 oz cans of cannellini beans drained
- 2 cups baby kale
- 2 cups dry farro
- grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving
Turkey Meatballs
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- ½ cup panko
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large dutch oven or pot, add broth, minced garlic, onion, carrots, salt, and pepper. Cook with the lid on at low-medium heat for 40 minutes until the onions and carrots are tender.
- While the soup base cooks, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add farro. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender and al dente. Then drain the water and set the farro aside. To cook farro in a rice cooker, use a 3 cup water to 1 cup farro ratio.
- While the soup and farro cook, combine ground turkey, egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, panko, cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Gently toss with your hands and break up the meat until evenly mixed. Then use your hands to roll and shape 1-inch meatballs. This turkey mix yield about 24 meatballs. Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil, place raw meatballs on the baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the meatballs and set aside.
- Once the carrots in your soup base are tender and the farro and meatballs are cooked, add the drained beans, baby kale, and turkey meatballs to the pot of soup. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Evenly distribute the farro and soup in bowls. Serve hot with parmesan cheese.
Notes
Editor's note: this recipe was originally published on November 17, 2017 and edited in November 2020.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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