Keto-friendly, gluten-free, and vibrantly aromatic, Italian wedding soup is filled with hearty chicken meatballs and only has 3 grams net carbs in each serving!
What Is Italian Wedding Soup
Maybe you’ve seen this item on an Italian restaurant menu and wanted to make it at home. But what is it and why is it called wedding soup?
It’s the meatballs that set it apart from other types of soup. But before you start thinking this was always served at weddings, rethink that word. It’s called wedding soup to represent the marriage of the ingredients, not a marriage between people.
The Italian name for it is “minestra maritata” which means “married soup.” All married soups contain green veggies and meatballs.
Keto Italian Wedding Soup
I kept the traditional combination of meatballs and green veggies in a savory broth, but kept it all low-carb and gluten-free. For the meatballs, I used parmesan cheese and didn’t use any breadcrumbs.
If you want to save yourself time, you can make the meatballs ahead of time or use keto-friendly frozen chicken meatballs. This soup is so hearty and filling that you can eat it for lunch or dinner!
Keto Wedding Soup
Add this to your weekly meal prep! As it sits in the refrigerator, the herbs and spices soak into the meatballs. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.
I suggest keeping leftover soup in a mason jar, because those lids screw on so tightly that they are basically leak-proof.
Chicken Meatball Soup
The best thing about making your own meatballs is that you can make them as small or as large as you want. I like to make mini-meatballs if I know my kids will be eating this soup.
For the green veggies, I used a combination of kale and celery. I love how the celery makes the soup taste and used it in my keto chicken detox soup. If you don’t like kale, replace it with some baby spinach.
What To Eat With Italian Wedding Soup
Since this is a classic Italian soup, I suggest serving it with your favorite type of salad. For an easy soup and salad lunch, make a copycat Olive Garden salad. It has all of your favorite Italian flavors and a delicious dressing.
Or, for something sweeter, I suggest making a strawberry cucumber salad instead. On the side, serve some keto garlic knots. They always go well with any Italian recipe you make.
For some veggies, add some garlic butter zucchini and squash. They will perfectly complement all the savory herbs and flavors in this soup.
Keto Italian Wedding Soup Recipe
Here are the ingredients to make this keto Italian wedding soup recipe. The exact measurements and instructions are in the printable recipe card, just a little below.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Net Carbs: 3 net carbs per serving
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
Ground chicken
Large egg
Parmesan cheese grated
Minced garlic
Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
For the soup:
Butter
Zucchini
Kale
Celery
Italian seasoning
Onion
Chicken broth
Matchstick carrots
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat.
Add in the onion, celery and zucchini. Saute until the vegetables soften.
In a mixing bowl, knead together the ingredients for the meatballs and set aside.
Stir the minced garlic and carrots into the pot with the other vegetables.
Pour in the broth, cover and bring to a light boil.
Form the meat mixture into balls, and drop into the pot.
Cover and simmer until the meatballs are floating and cooked through.
Stir in the kale, and cook until wilted.
Pin for later!
Follow me on Pinterest!
Keto Italian Wedding Soup
Equipment
- Soup Pot
Ingredients
Keto Chicken Meatballs
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- 1 large Egg
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Soup
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 medium Zucchini chopped
- 3 cups Kale chopped
- 1/2 cup Celery chopped
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 Onion Chopped
- 5 cups Chicken Broth
- 1/3 cups Matchstick Carrots
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat.
- Add in the onion, celery and zucchini. Saute until the vegetables soften.
- In a mixing bowl, knead together the ingredients for the meatballs and set aside.
- Stir the minced garlic and carrots into the pot with the other vegetables.
- Pour in the broth, cover and bring to a light boil.
- Form the meat mixture into balls, and drop into the pot.
- Cover and simmer until the meatballs are floating and cooked through.
- Stir in the kale, and cook until wilted.
Notes
Net Carbs: 3 Net Carbs Per Serving The nutritional information for this recipe is calculated as a courtesy and is an approximate only. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipes on this site.
Keto Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed this keto Italian wedding soup recipe, here are some more low-carb soup recipes you should try next! They are perfect for both lunch or as a starter for dinner.
