This Healthy Italian Wedding Soup is the perfect cozy, easy dinner. Paleo, whole30 and low carb – this soup can be made in the crockpot or on the stove! It’s gluten free, grain free and dairy free but packed with flavor and veggies!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Clickhere to read my policy and more about affiliate links. This post was originally shared in Feb of 2018.
I’m so excited to share this recipe for Healthy Italian Wedding Soup! This veggie packed cozy soup is one of my favorite things to make during the winter.
It has cute little baby meatballs, loads of veggies, and then gets simmered in a delicious, protein rich broth for maximum flavor.
It’s much the ultimate healthy soup, while still tasting like Authentic Italian Wedding Soup!
This Italian Wedding Soup has pretty much been my favorite meal over the past few months. I could eat soup basically every day for lunch/dinner, especially when it’s cold out.
This soup is paleo, Whole30, gluten free, dairy free and SO delicious. It’s one that everyone will love!
In addition to being veggie packed, this soup has a good amount of protein because of the meatballs, and there is no pasta in the soup (although you could add it!)
What makes this Italian Wedding Soup Healthy?
I’m all about sneaking nutrients in wherever I can, whether that be pureeing up spinach in the meatballs, swapping pasta with zucchini.. etc. Any time I can make something better for me (while still tasting delish) I do it. Here’s what makes this soup healthier than traditional Italian Wedding soup:
- Veggie Loaded – There is one serving of veggies in each serving of this soup, but it’s very easy to add even more! There are carrots, zoodles, celery, onions, and spinach.
- Low calorie/carb – This soup is light but actually very filling!
- Turkey Meatballs – We use turkey for the meatballs which is lean while still being high in protein.
Yes, part of this recipe means you have to make little itty bitty meatballs. They take an extra few minutes- but they’re SO worth it. I mean.. look at how cute these guys are?! I had to stop myself from eating them right off the baking sheet!
Ingredients for Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
To make this Italian Wedding Soup you’ll need:
- turkey
- spinach
- coconut flour
- egg
- parsley, basil
- salt, pepper
- olive oil
- broth
- onion, celery, carrots, garlic
You’ll also need a spiralizer. A crockpot or instant pot can be used to make this soup (or you can make it on the stove). Lastly, a food processor would make this soup MUCH easier to make so you don’t have to chop all the veggies by hand!
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
How to make Healthy Italian Wedding Soup from scratch:
Making this Italian Wedding Soup is a little bit of extra work, but I promise it’s worth it! Most of the work comes from making the baby meatballs.
- First, mix together the batter for your meatballs. Bake the meatballs.
- While meatballs are baking, sauté your veggies.
- Add broth + cooked meatballs. Bring to a boil + cook for 30 minutes. When you’re ready to serve – stir in spinach, zucchini, or rice. Serve + enjoy!
The key to this soup is to NOT add the spinach/zoodles until you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, they’ll be soggy!
Can you make this Healthy Italian Wedding Soup in the crockpot/slow cooker?
Yes, you can make this soup in the crockpot. Add cooked meatballs + all soup ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. See below for instructions.
(You can give your veggies a quick sauté before adding to the pot if you have time, but if not – don’t worry about it!)
Can you make this Healthy Italian Wedding Soup in the instant pot?
Yes, you can make this soup in the instant pot. It takes the same amount of time as making it on the stove. See below for full instructions!
Substitutions for Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
There are lots of substitutions for this Italian wedding soup recipe.
Meat – You can use any meat for the meatballs. Chicken or beef will work fine, but we prefer turkey.
Broth – You can use Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Turkey Broth, or Vegetable Broth.
Pasta – Pasta can be subbed in for zoodles if you’d like
Other vegetables – You can add cauliflower rice to this soup if you’d like. Feel free to add more carrots, celery, or onion.
What can be served with Italian Wedding Soup? This soup is hearty and filling on it’s own – but it also goes great with a loaf of bread, or alongside a sandwich!
How to Store
Can this Italian wedding soup be frozen? Yes it can! Store your soup in an airtight containers. I love these containers for freezing leftovers! You can use code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE to save $$ on them!
When you’re ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave. Separation is normal and ok! Just stir it up.
We have more tips on how to freeze soup!
Iwould not recommend storing this soup with the zucchini noodles in it. It will also not freeze well with the zucchini noodle added to it. The zucchini noodles absorb water, so it’s to store them separately if you don’t want a mushy mess!
I’ve included some important tips below, make sure to read them before making this soup!
Tips for making Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
- Be sure to add the zucchini noodles to your bowl ONLY when you’re ready to serve. They will not hold well in the soup! Then if you have extra soup, you can store the soup + noodles separately + the noodles wont get soggy.
- When spiralizing your zucchini noodles, squeeze them with a paper towel to absorb the moisture
- If you are saving your zucchini noodles, I like to put them in a container or a stasher bag with a folded paper towel, it will help absorb any extra moisture so they stay fresh and don’t get soggy!
- Using a food processor for ‘chopping’ herbs + veggies is the best! For the meatballs, I put the herbs, spinach, onions + garlic in the food processor and pulsed until they were fine pieces. I did the same thing for the soup!
If you love ground turkey, check out these Healthy Ground Turkey Recipes!
Other healthy soup recipes:
We love soup SO much that we actually have a free healthy soup ebook! We also have a post filled with the best Healthy Soup Recipes!
- Healthy Lemon Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Healthy Potato Soup
- Healthy Beef Barley Soup
- Paleo Butternut Squash Soup
- Healthy Broccoli Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Taco Soup
- 25 Healthy Soup Recipes
Healthy Italian Wedding Soup
Recipe by: Liz Marino
4.84 from 12 votes
This Healthy Italian Wedding Soup is the perfect cozy, easy dinner. Paleo, whole30 and low carb – this soup can be made in the crockpot or on the stove!
WW Freestyle Points 2
Prep Time : 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time : 45 minutes minutes
Total Time : 1 hour hour
Serves : 6 people
(hover over # to adjust)
PRINTPINRATE
Ingredients
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup spinach chopped
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic chopped finely
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic chopped finely
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 2 cups carrots sliced in small circles
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped finely
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 64 oz chicken stock (2 quarts)
- 2 cups spinach chopped, off to the side
- 2 cups zucchini noodles, rice, or pasta chopped, off to the side
Instructions
StoveTop Instructions
Preheat oven to 450
In a bowl mix together all ingredients for meatballs until combined.
On a lined cookie sheet (I use parchment paper), drop 1/4 inch round meatballs. They can be fairly close together as they do not spread. You can make the meatballs slightly bigger, but I prefer them smaller!
Bake meatballs for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
While meatballs are cooking, in a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, celery, garlic + carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes until onions start to soften.
Add cooked meatballs, remaining spices, and chicken stock to the pot. Do NOT add the chopped spinach + zucchini noodles to the pot! Cook the soup on high for 30 minutes.
Once soup is cooked, stir in chopped spinach + serve over zucchini noodles, rice or pasta of choice.
Crockpot Instructions
Preheat oven to 450.
In a bowl mix together all ingredients for meatballs until combined.
On a lined cookie sheet (I use parchment paper), drop 1/4 inch round meatballs. They can be fairly close together as they do not spread. You can make the meatballs slightly bigger, but I prefer them smaller!
Bake meatballs for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
While meatballs are cooking, in a large pot, heat olive oil. Add onions, celery, garlic + carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes until onions start to soften. (Optional, but recommended). Add to the crockpot base once cooked.
Add cooked meatballs, remaining spices, and chicken stock to the crockpot. Do NOT add the chopped spinach + zucchini noodles to the pot! Cook the soup on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
Once soup is cooked, stir in chopped spinach + serve over zucchini noodles, rice or pasta of choice.
Instant Pot Instructions
Preheat oven to 450.
In a bowl mix together all ingredients for meatballs until combined.
On a lined cookie sheet (I use parchment paper), drop 1/4 inch round meatballs. They can be fairly close together as they do not spread. You can make the meatballs slightly bigger, but I prefer them smaller!
Bake meatballs for 10 minutes, until golden brown.
While meatballs are cooking, set your instant pot to sauté for 5 minutes. Add onions, celery, garlic + carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes until onions start to soften.
Add cooked meatballs, remaining spices, and chicken stock to the instant pot. Do NOT add the chopped spinach + zucchini noodles to the pot! Set the instant pot to sealing and Pressure cook for 7 minutes. Allow the soup to natural release for 20 minutes, than quick release any remaining pressure.
Once soup is cooked, stir in chopped spinach + serve over zucchini noodles, rice or pasta of choice.
Notes
Can you make this Whole30 Italian Wedding Soup in the crockpot/slow cooker?
Yes, you can make this soup in the crockpot. Add cooked meatballs + all soup ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. (You can give your veggies a quick sauté before adding to the pot if you have time, but if not – don’t worry about it!)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2cupsCalories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 23gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 193mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 8996IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Share it! Make sure to tag @thecleaneatingcouple or use #thecleaneatingcouple!
