Italian Wedding Soup – East Side Mario’s Copycat

If you’ve ever been to East Side Mario’s, you likely had their all-you-can-eat Italian Wedding Soup served before the main entree. As the weather cools down, this is precisely the kind of soup that I find myself constantly craving. And if you never had this soup before, let me tell you why you should! It is an Italian soup recipe with comforting broth, mini meatballs, tiny pasta, and fresh leafy greens. It is the perfect recipe for a cold day and an all-time favorite. So, since its nearly winter, I thought it would be an excellent idea to share this Italian wedding soup- East side Mario’s copy cat recipe with you. And if you’ve tried my Better Than Mario’s Chicken Parmigiana, you’re definitely going to love this one too. Serve it with some crusty bread — my 10-Fold Artisan Bread pairs perfectly with it.

And, here is the best part: if you make some extra meatballs, you can freeze them! Then, next time you’re in the mood for soup, you can whip this up faster than it takes to get to East Side Mario’s and be served. It’s truly that easy and quick! 

Meatball Ingredients:

• Ground meat: I like mixing pork and extra-lean beef, but you can use what’s available — a pork, veal, and beef mix works great too. You can also go with just pork, beef, veal, or even chicken.
• Onion and garlic: Grated onion and garlic add great flavor. Just make sure to use a small onion so the mix doesn’t get too wet.
• Lemon zest (optional): Adds a light and fresh touch to the recipe.
• Parmesan cheese and parsley: Add flavor and freshness to the meatballs and the soup.
• Breadcrumbs, milk, and egg: Help bind the meat mixture and keep the meatballs soft and tender.

Soup Ingredients:

• The tiny meatballs we have made
• Pasta: East Side Mario’s uses acini di pepe, but any small pasta like orzo or tiny soup pasta works just as well.
• Spinach: Fresh baby spinach is ideal, but frozen chopped spinach also works — just use less.
• Chicken broth: Homemade or store-bought both work; use a good-quality broth for the best flavor.
• Garlic powder and salt: Simple seasoning that brings everything together.

Note: This recipe makes lots of tiny meatballs! It’s a big batch, so you can always make less or freeze some for another day.

Instructions:

1. Start by combining all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and shape the mixture and shape them into mini round balls. Set them aside for later.

2. Pour chicken stock into a large pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.

3. Once boiling, add the meatballs and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder and the pasta and to cook according to the instructions on the package. When there are 2 minutes left for the pasta to cook, add the spinach and cook for an additional couple of minutes.

4. Adjust the seasoning with salt to your liking, turn off the heat, and just before serving, add the optional 1/2 tsp of grated lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!

How to Serve: 

• Italian Wedding Soup is typically served hot, garnished with freshly chopped parsley, and sometimes a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
• This soup makes a fantastic lunch option, a convenient choice to take to work, or a satisfying dinner when paired with some crusty bread like my 10-Fold No Knead Bread or even garlic bread!

Storage Instructions:

• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
• While I don’t recommend freezing the entire soup, freezing the meatballs is a great idea for the next time you’re craving this dish.

To streamline the process, consider doubling or tripling the meatball recipe. Freeze them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and transfer the frozen meatballs to a Ziplock bag. With the most time-consuming part already done, you’ll only need to wash one pan next time, and making it will only take a couple of minutes. 

Common Substitutions/Variations:

• Opt for frozen spinach instead of fresh baby spinach, especially if you plan to freeze extra meatballs. This way, you won’t worry about fresh spinach going uneaten in the fridge.
• Feel free to switch up the protein in the recipe according to your preferences. Ground chicken,  ground beef,  ground pork,  ground turkey, or ground veal all work well for these versatile meatballs.
• You can use homemade chicken broth or store-bought chicken broth. If using store-bought chicken broth I recommend the versions with reduced or no salt added.
• Acini di pepe is sometimes a little hard to find. If you cannot find it at your local grocery store you can use any other shortcut pasta for this recipe. Orzo or Stelline (the one shapped like little stars) come to mind right now,  but others would work as well. 
• You can use dried parsley instead of fresh if you prefer. 
• You can certainly add more veggies to the soup if you like (even though Mario’s version does not). Many wedding soup versions include carrots and celery. You can certainly include them in your soup if you like. It’s your soup so you are the boss! 

Italian Wedding Soup (East Side Mario’s Copycat)

5 from 2 votes

Cozy Italian Wedding Soup with mini meatballs, tiny pasta, and fresh greens — a simple East Side Mario’s copycat perfect for chilly days.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Total Time:38 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: meatballs, Soup, wedding

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 436kcal

Author: Claudia Genschow

Video

Ingredients

For the tiny meatballs:

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
• 1/2 small onion grated
• 2 cloves garlic garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Lemon zest optional
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 1 tablespoon parsley freshly chopped
• 3 tablespoons Breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon Milk
• 1 Egg
• Salt and pepper to taste around 1 1/2 teaspoons

For the soup:

• 3/4 cup Acini de pepe pasta or any other shortcut pasta
• 5 ounces 140 grams of fresh baby spinach or 30 g frozen spinach
• 1/4 tsp Lemon zest optional
• 7 cups Chicken broth if using store-bought, 2 cartons of around 900ml each
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
• Fresh parsley
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Start by combining all the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and shape the mixture and shape them into mini round balls. Set them aside for later.
  1/2 lb ground pork, 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef, 1/2 small onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 teaspoon Lemon zest, 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon parsley, 3 tablespoons Breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon Milk, 1 Egg, Salt and pepper to taste
• Pour chicken stock into a large pot over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil.
  7 cups Chicken broth
• Once the broth is boiling, gently add the meatballs and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic powder and the pasta, then cook according to the package instructions.
  3/4 cup Acini de pepe pasta, 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
• When there are about 2 minutes left for the pasta to cook, add the spinach and cook for a couple more minutes until wilted and tender.
  5 ounces 140 grams of fresh baby spinach
• Adjust the seasoning with salt to your liking, turn off the heat, and just before serving, add the optional 1/2 tsp of grated lemon zest and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
  1/4 tsp Lemon zest, Fresh parsley, Salt to taste

Notes

🍲 Broth: Use a good-quality chicken broth for the best flavor. My personal preference is to use reduced-salt or unsalted broth, as I find regular versions usually too salty. Taste before adding extra salt — you can always adjust at the end.

🧂 Salt: Be mindful of your salt levels, especially if your broth or Parmesan is already salted. It’s always easier to add more later than to fix an overly salty soup.

🥩 Meatballs: Dampen your hands slightly when rolling — it helps prevent sticking and makes shaping the meatballs much easier.

🧅 Onion tip: Make sure to use a small onion. Too much moisture from a large one can make the mixture too soft and difficult to shape.

⚙️ Prep shortcut: Instead of grating the onion and garlic, you can use a food processor or mini chopper to finely mince the onion, garlic, and parsley. It’s quicker and keeps the texture consistent.

❄️ Storage: Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth or water if the soup thickens.

Nutrition

Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 1758mg | Potassium: 769mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3515IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 4mg

Troubleshooting:

• Difficulty shaping meatballs: Dampening you hands slightly when rolling will help prevent sticking. If you still find it challenging to shape your mini meatballs, add a bit more breadcrumbs. This adjustment should resolve any shaping issues.
• Not enough pasta in the soup: Resist the urge to add more pasta. Trust me on this one. It is enough. Acini di pepe doubles in size while cooking, and adding too much pasta can overpower the soup. Be careful with the amount, as the pasta tends to expand even more as the soup cools. Trust me on this; it’s just right! I often don’t follow my own advice and I regret it every. single. time. 

FAQs:

This delicious Italian Wedding soup is not only one of my favourite soups, but it is also great recipe for the whole family. Especially if you are surrounded by picky eaters like me. I think that since it does not have many vegetables it must be less intimidating than other soups with tons of vegetables. It’s potentially a great way to get them to eat soup for the first time.

 What did you think of today’s recipe? Let me know if you tried it and if you have any questions don’t be shy! Your feedback is always welcome. Leave me a comment down below! 

Looking for more soup recipes?

Effortless Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Instant Pot Roasted Beet Soup

And don’t forget to try Ultimate Chicken Parmigiana (just like Mario’s)