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 these chilly winter days!
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 3/4 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
- 1/3 recipe Keto Meatballs
Italian Wedding Soup
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 6 cups (1.41 kg) chicken broth
- 2 cups (320 g) riced cauliflower
- 2 cups (60 g) 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
This looks very yummy!! I love soup season!!
I love good ol’ chicken soup!
My favorite comforting soup is a hearty vegetable soup with lentils and leafy greens. Healthy and filling!
My favorite comforting soup is a hearty vegetable soup with lentils and leafy greens. Healthy and filling!
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!
This soup looks amazing. You are genius with your recipes! And that pot??? Looks divine! Thanks!
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!
Wow, really? Soup is so easy. The only labour intensive part of this recipe is the meatballs.
love all your recipes. you are one of my favorite low carb bloggers. thanks!
My mom’s homemade chicken soup is my favorite – my grandma used to make it as well and now I make it (with some adaptations now that I am low carb). Would love to try it in this pot!
I’m really glad to see a low-carb soup recipe! And the pot looks lovely. It’s such a pleasure to have the right tool for the job when you’re creating recipes. 🙂
My favorite soup is the chicken bacon sweet potato chowder from IBIH
chicken noodle! 🙂
I always feel comforted when it’s hot, tasty, and my refrigerator has been cleaned out a bit because of it, LOL!
But a wonderful Beef and Cabbage with Caraway recipe of my mom’s always sits well this time of year. And cauliflower rice has made old favorites like Greek Lemon Soup possible again!
This looks yummy — will have to try this very soon. My favorite soup is Brussel Sprouts Soup. 🙂
I love creamy tomato soup.
My mother used to make a Zucchini Soup that was so delicious. I need to ask her why she doesn’t make that any more. 🙂