Italian Wedding Soup
Prep 20 mins Cook 45 mins Eat 55 mins
The Italian Wedding Soup sounds like a really special soup…and it is. It’s one of those soups that you can make a meal with for a few days. It’s filled with lots of healthy ingredients like cannellini beans, greens like kale, escarole and savoy cabbage along with flavorful meats – ham, Italian sausage and salami. Sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese over the top, and enjoy the aroma and the warming Italian Wedding Soup. The term “wedding soup” comes from Italian “minestra maritata” (married soup), which refers to the flavor produced by the marriage of the greens and meat.
Making the Italian Wedding Soup is easy.
Serve the Italian Wedding Soup with grated parmesan cheese.
Making the Italian Wedding Soup is easy but a little involved because there are many ingredients to get into the pot. It’s the perfect meal for one of those cold winter days when you want the aroma from your kitchen surrounding you with warmth and goodness.
Cook the diced ham and sausage in a large soup pot.
Start with cooking the ham and Italian sausage together in a large soup pot.
Escarole, Savoy cabbage and kale are the basis of the Italian Wedding Soup.
The greens are the basis of the Italian Wedding Soup. Kale, savoy cabbage and escarole. Escarole is an Italian green that looks like a head of romaine lettuce. If you can’t find it at your supermarket, get some swiss chard, collards or another sturdy green.
Chopped escarole and chopped kale are ready for the soup pot.
While the meat is cooking, chop the greens. Remove the stems from the kale and discard. Slice through the escarole. Half the cabbage and remove the core. With cut side down, thinly slice the cabbage. Use half of the cabbage if large or a whole cabbage if small.
Half of the Cannellini Beans are pureed before adding to the soup.
You can purchase two cans of cannellini beans or make them fresh from dried beans. I can recommend making the fresh beans in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. If you do, save the cooking liquid to use as your soup broth. Half of the beans are pureed in the food processor and half are left whole.
Add the tomatoes and pureed cannellini beans.
The tomatoes and the pureed cannelini beans are added to the meat mixture.
Add in the whole cannellini beans and the chopped greens.
Then add in the whole cannellini beans along with the greens and the bean broth or water. It will take a few batches to add in all the chopped greens. As the greens wilt, there will be more room in the pot to add more, as you bring the pot to a boil.
The sliced salami is the last ingredient added.
Finally, add in the sliced salami. Simmer the soup another 20 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
The Italian Wedding Soup is a bowl of warmth and goodness.
Serve the Italian Wedding Soup with grated parmesan cheese and some crusty bread.
For more great soup recipes, click here.
Italian Wedding Soup
The Italian Wedding Soup is perfect for one of those cold winter days when you want the aroma from your kitchen surrounding you with warmth and goodness. The term wedding soup comes from Italian “minestra maritata” (married soup) which refers to the flavor produced by the marriage of greens and meat.
You can purchase two cans of cannellini beans or make them fresh from dried beans. I can recommend making the fresh beans in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. If you do, save the cooking liquid to use as your soup broth.
1/4 pound ham or pancetta, chopped
1/2 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch kale, stems removed (about 8 cups)
1 head escarole
1 small head cabbage, Savoy preferred (about 8 cups)
2 19-ounce cans cannellini beans
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon oregano leaves, crushed, dried or more if fresh
5 cups water or reserved bean broth from cooking dried beans
1/4 pound sliced dried salami
1 teaspoon +/- Kosher salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup Fresh grated parmesan cheese
1. In a large soup pot, cook the diced ham and Italian sausage until it browns. Add in the garlic.
2. While the meat is cooking, chop the greens. Remove the stems from the kale and discard. Chop the kale and set aside. Slice through escarole until it is roughly chopped. Half the cabbage, remove the core. Place the cut side down on the cutting board and thinly slice the cabbage. Use half of the cabbage if large or a whole cabbage if small.
3. Puree one can of the cannellini beans in a food processor with the juices. Set aside.
4. Add the tomatoes, pureed cannellini beans and oregano to the pot with the meat. Begin to bring to a boil on high heat.
5. Then immediately add the whole cannellini beans with their juices and begin to add the greens and the bean broth or water. It will take a few batches to add in all the chopped greens. As the greens wilt, there will be more room in the pot to add more. Once the soup has reached boiling, turn the heat on low and simmer gently. Do not cover the pot. This helps keep the greens a more vibrant color.
6. Finally, add the salami and cook an additional 20 minutes. While it is cooking, taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the Italian Wedding Soup with grated parmesan cheese.
Servings: 12 – 402 calories per serving
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound ham or pancetta chopped
- 1/2 pound Italian sausages casings removed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 bunch kale stems removed (about 8 cups)
- 1 head escarole
- 1 small head cabbage Savoy preferred (about 8 cups)
- 2 19- ounce cans cannellini beans
- 1 28- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon oregano leaves crushed, dried or more if fresh
- 5 cups water or reserved bean broth from cooking dried beans
- 1/4 pound sliced dried salami
- 1 teaspoon +/- Kosher salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, cook the diced ham and Italian sausage until it browns. Add in the garlic.
- While the meat is cooking, chop the greens. Remove the stems from the kale and discard. Chop the kale and set aside. Slice through escarole until it is roughly chopped. Half the cabbage, remove the core. Place the cut side down on the cutting board and thinly slice the cabbage. Use half of the cabbage if large or a whole cabbage if small.
- Puree one can of the cannellini beans in a food processor with the juices. Set aside.
- Add the tomatoes, pureed cannellini beans and oregano to the pot with the meat. Begin to bring to a boil on high heat.
- Then immediately add the whole cannellini beans with their juices and begin to add the greens and the bean broth or water. It will take a few batches to add in all the chopped greens. As the greens wilt, there will be more room in the pot to add more. Once the soup has reached boiling, turn the heat on low and simmer gently. Do not cover the pot. This helps keep the greens a more vibrant color.
- Finally, add the salami and cook an additional 20 minutes. While it is cooking, taste the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the Italian Wedding Soup with grated parmesan cheese.
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Nutrition
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