This Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup is a hearty, flavorful bowl of tender vegetables, small pasta, and savory meatballs. Ready in about 30 minutes, it’s perfect for busy weeknights or a simple weekend meal. Serve it as a starter or a main course and offer crusty bread on the side to soak up the broth.
Ingredients in Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Minced garlic
- Yellow onion, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Acini de pepe (small pasta)
- Fresh oregano, chopped
- Salt
- Frozen meatballs (or cooked homemade meatballs)
- Baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese, grated
How to Make Italian Wedding Soup in the Instant Pot
This Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup with frozen meatballs is straightforward and fast. Follow these steps for a warm, comforting soup in about half an hour.
1. Sauté: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot.
2. Brown the meatballs: Add the frozen meatballs and minced garlic. Sauté until the meatballs develop some color and the onions become translucent.
3. Deglaze: Press Cancel, pour in 1 cup of chicken broth, and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits.
4. Add pasta and seasonings: Stir in the acini de pepe, add the remaining chicken broth, then season with salt and chopped fresh oregano.
5. Pressure cook: Secure the lid and cook on High Pressure (Manual) for 4 minutes.
6. Quick release: When the cook time ends, perform a careful quick release to let the steam out.
7. Finish and serve: Remove the lid, stir in the baby spinach until wilted, and serve topped with grated Parmesan and a side of bread.
Tips for Cooking Pasta in the Instant Pot
Acini de pepe cooks quickly in a pressure cooker because the liquid-to-pasta ratio in this recipe is generous, but these tips will help you avoid undercooked or mushy pasta:
Ensure the pasta is submerged. Press the pasta gently below the surface of the broth so it cooks evenly.
Use the package time as a guide. For most pasta, divide the stovetop cooking time by two and subtract one minute to estimate pressure-cooking time.
Quick controlled release. Use a careful quick release after pressure cooking pasta. Letting the cooker naturally release can overcook the pasta and make it mushy.
Substitutions for Acini de Pepe
Acini de pepe is traditional for Italian Wedding Soup, but you can swap it with other small pastas like ditalini or orzo. Adjust pressure-cooking time following the package-guideline method mentioned above.
Substitutions for Frozen Meatballs
Frozen beef and pork meatballs are convenient, but you can use homemade meatballs or frozen chicken or turkey meatballs. If you choose homemade raw meatballs, cook them through before pressure cooking this soup since the recipe only pressure cooks for four minutes.
What Is Italian Wedding Soup?
Italian Wedding Soup, or minestra maritata, combines meat (traditionally small meatballs) and leafy greens in a savory broth with small pasta. Its name refers to the “marriage” of flavors rather than an association with weddings. The soup likely has regional roots in Italy and became popular in the United States in the mid-20th century. Today it’s a comforting, widely enjoyed classic that’s easy to make at home.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
Dana
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 large yellow onion – chopped
- 1 cup carrots – chopped
- 1 cup celery – chopped
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup acini de pepe
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano – chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces frozen meatballs
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese – grated
Instructions
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Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and add the extra-virgin olive oil.
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Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the inner liner and sauté briefly.
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Add the frozen meatballs and minced garlic; brown the meatballs on all sides and cook until the onion is translucent.
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Press Cancel. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits.
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Stir in the acini de pepe, add the remaining broth, then season with salt and chopped oregano.
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Close the lid and pressure cook on High for 4 minutes.
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Perform a careful quick release when the time is up.
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Remove the lid, stir in the spinach until wilted, and serve with grated Parmesan and bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on calculations; actual values may vary with ingredients and portion sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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