Chilly weather calls for a nice big bowl of Italian Wedding Soup! This comforting recipe is made with cauliflower rice for a healthier low carb option. Only 3.7g net carbs per serving!
You know that damp cold that chills you to the bone? The temperature might not even be that low, but the dreary, drizzly cold just moves right through you. That’s the kind of weather that screams for this Keto Italian Wedding Soup!
It’s a rich warm broth full of succulent keto meatballs and sprinkled with plenty of Parmesan cheese. But skip the pasta and pop in some cauliflower rice instead. Now you’ve just amped up the nutrition and managed to warm yourself up at the same time.
The perfect meal for the sort of damp cold that chills you right to the bone!
Why you need this soup recipe
I have updated this recipe ever so slightly because I really wanted to include my make ahead meatballs. If you have some of these on hand, you can make this Italian Wedding Soup Recipe at a moment’s notice.
So I am giving you three options for making this delicious keto soup. You can make the meatballs at the time you make them soup, and allow them to cook in the broth. Or you can make the meatballs and pre-cook them, and then add them to the soup at the end.
Finally, you can make a big batch of the meatballs, freeze them, and add them to the soup in their frozen state. Just keep the soup simmering until the meatballs are warmed through!
That’s what I’ve been doing lately: making the full batch of keto meatballs, baking them, and then freezing them. That way, I have quick meal options on chilly days. I also love them in Keto Meatball Casserole!
Ingredients you need
- Keto meatballs: You can add them fresh, cooked, or frozen!
- Chicken broth: I like to get a good keto-friendly bone broth for the best flavor.
- Cauliflower rice: This takes the place of acini de pepe that is standard in Italian Wedding Soup. I swear you won’t taste any difference and it’s better for you!
- Spinach: You can use fresh or frozen spinach for this recipe.
- Parmesan: Sprinkle the top of your soup with plenty of Parmesan cheese for a real Italian meal.
- Aromatics: Onion, celery, garlic.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, oregano
Step by Step Directions
1. Prepare the meatballs: Prepare the meatball mixture according to the directions. You can make them as big or as small as you like. Refrigerate or pre-cook the meatballs before adding to the soup.
2. Sauté the aromatics: In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, salt, and pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Add the broth: Stir in the chicken broth and oregano and bring to a strong simmer. Add the cauliflower rice and the meatballs and cook until the meatballs are cooked or warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the spinach: Add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, 2 minutes more. Season to taste and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.
Expert Tips
I recommend making the meatballs on the smaller side for this soup. They will cook through faster and you can get more per serving. I like to make mine about ¾ inches in diameter when uncooked. They will shrink as they cook.
Most Italian Wedding Soup recipes have you cooking the meatballs right in the broth. But I really prefer them pre-cooked. They have more flavor and better texture, in my opinion.
You can cook the meatballs from frozen right in the soup! Once you get the broth simmering, add them right in and let them thaw and warm through. They are pre-cooked so there’s no worry of undercooked meat.
Frequently Asked Questions
The name actually comes from a mistranslation of “minestra maritata”. This Italian phrase translates to “married soup” and refers to the marriage of ingredients, not to actual weddings. But isn’t it nice to imagine that it’s served at nuptial feasts to honor the bride and groom?
Italian Wedding Soup typically consists of meatballs, broth, spinach, and small, round pasta called Acini de Pepe. For this keto friendly version, I have replaced the pasta with cauliflower rice. And it’s just as tasty and even more nutritious!
This Keto Italian Wedding Soup has 5.2g of carbs and 1.5g of fiber per serving. So it has only 3.7g net carbs per yummy bowl of soup.
More delicious soup recipes
Keto Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Meatballs
- ⅓ recipe Keto Meatballs
Italian Wedding Soup
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 2 cups packed spinach leaves (or 1 cup frozen spinach)
- Additional salt and pepper
- Parmesan for sprinkling
Instructions
Meatballs
- Prepare the meatball mixture according to the directions. You can make them as big or as small as you like.
- At this point, you can either refrigerate them and add to the soup to be cooked in the broth. Or you can pre-cook them and add to the soup at the end. You can even freeze them and add them straight to the broth from frozen.
Italian Wedding Soup
- In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, celery, salt, and pepper and sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Stir in the chicken broth and oregano and bring to a strong simmer. Add the cauliflower rice and the meatballs and cook until the meatballs are cooked or warmed through, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, 2 minutes more. Season to taste and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.
Susan Reed says
Beef Barley is my favourite cold weather soup…I sub the barley for cauliflower these days though!
Betsy r says
I love this soup, can’t wait to try this recipe
Kim says
My son LOVES Italian Wedding soup and I have never made it for him. He is going to go through the roof when I make this. I can’t wait!
Kate says
My absolute favorite soup is Moosewood’s Hungarian Mushroom Soup. It’s absolutely fantastic.
Thanks, as always !
Jennifer Willard says
I have discovered a new favorite comfort soup. It is the Greek Avgolemeno Soup (Chicken Soup with Egg Lemon Sauce). Chicken Soup always sounded good, but I was in heaven when I added the lemon. Love lemon anything! Sometimes, instead of the chicken, I will substitute shrimp. I am getting hungry now.
BTW, would love that new soup pot for my kitchen! Just sayin’.
Jan says
My favorite comforting soup of the pre-low carb days was potato soup. Now I enjoy lemon chicken with cauliflower rice pretty often.
Chloe says
One of my favorite soups is a chicken/wild rice that uses blended cauliflower to make it creamy without creating a heavy calorie load. Creamy, rich soups are the best, and I can’t wait to try this one!
Linda Quigley says
I love spicy soup like chicken tortilla or a really good Posole either chicken or pork. But my favorite is Cippino
Kathy Larsen says
My favorite comforting soup would have to be low carb gumbo! Good luck, everyone!
Crystal S says
Homemade chicken noodle soup with lots of veggies.
Grace Pickard says
I my favorite soup is she crab soup. I haven’t found any recipes to make it low carb though.
Melody says
Very elegant!
Amber Walden says
This looks very yummy!! I love soup season!!
Jennifer says
I love good ol’ chicken soup!
Lorel says
My favorite comforting soup is a hearty vegetable soup with lentils and leafy greens. Healthy and filling!
Lorel Schmitzberger says
My favorite comforting soup is a hearty vegetable soup with lentils and leafy greens. Healthy and filling!
Ines says
This is one of the family’s favorite soup normally served on special family get togethers. The pot is gorgeous, as are the ones pictured on their facebook site. The copper one…love it!
Rhadonda says
This soup looks amazing. You are genius with your recipes! And that pot??? Looks divine! Thanks!
Roz Giancola says
I have never made soup! I haven’t had soup since I eliminated grains & sugar from my diet. I used to love Italian Wedding Soup. Even though I am Italian American, my mother never made the soup from scratch, it was Progresso in a can if we were lucky to get it! The pot is also very lovely, much nicer than anything I own. Thanks for the chance!
Carolyn says
Wow, really? Soup is so easy. The only labour intensive part of this recipe is the meatballs.
valeria woelfel says
love all your recipes. you are one of my favorite low carb bloggers. thanks!