Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup

This instant pot Italian wedding soup is one of my favorite comfort food recipes. It’s hearty, full of flavor, and comes together so fast thanks to the pressure cooker.

You get tender little meatballs, small pasta, veggies, and fresh spinach all in one warm bowl. It’s basically a complete meal on its own.

What I love most is that the Instant Pot does the heavy lifting. No standing over the stove watching a pot simmer for an hour. Just a few minutes of prep and five minutes of pressure cooking.

If you’ve never had Italian wedding soup before, don’t worry – it has nothing to do with weddings. It’s just a classic Italian soup where the meat and greens go really well together. That’s where the name comes from.

This recipe is perfect for meal prep too. It stores well in the fridge and honestly tastes even better the next day.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Homemade Meatballs Make All the Difference – The pork and beef blend with parmesan and garlic creates tender, flavorful little meatballs that are so much better than anything you’d get from a can or a freezer bag.

Everything Cooks in One Pot – The meatballs, pasta, veggies, and broth all cook together in the Instant Pot at the same time, which means the flavors meld beautifully and you only have one pot to clean up.

Ready in Under 30 Minutes – Between the quick sauté, just 5 minutes of pressure cooking, and a fast release, you get a soup that tastes like it simmered on the stove for hours but actually comes together before your family even sets the table.

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1/2 lb Ground Pork
• 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 1/3 cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

For the Soup

• 6 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Small Pasta (acini di pepe or orzo)
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 2 medium Carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 4 cups Fresh Baby Spinach
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, for serving

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, ground beef, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Roll the mixture into small meatballs, about 1 inch each. You should get around 30 meatballs.

Step 2

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

Step 3

Pour in the chicken broth and stir in the italian seasoning. Scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Gently drop the meatballs into the broth one at a time.

Step 4

Add the pasta and gently push it below the surface of the broth. Press cancel. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.

Step 5

When the cook time is done, do a quick release by carefully turning the valve to venting. Open the lid and stir in the baby spinach. Let it sit for 2 minutes until the spinach wilts completely.

Step 6

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Pro Tips

Keep the Meatballs Small

Roll your meatballs to about 1 inch – roughly the size of a grape. They might look tiny on the cutting board, but they puff up during pressure cooking and end up being the perfect bite-size for soup.

If you make them bigger, they won’t cook through evenly in the 5-minute pressure cook time. You could end up with raw centers, and nobody wants that.

A quick trick is to scoop the meat with a teaspoon measuring spoon and then roll it between your palms. This keeps them all the same size so they cook at the same rate.

Don’t Overmix the Meatball Mixture

When you’re combining the pork, beef, breadcrumbs, egg, and everything else, mix it just until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Use your hands and gently fold it all together.

If you squeeze and knead the mixture like dough, the meatballs will come out dense and rubbery instead of tender. You want them soft enough that they almost melt in the soup.

Scrape the Bottom Before Pressure Cooking

After sauteing the vegetables, bits of garlic and onion will stick to the bottom of the pot. When you pour in the chicken broth, use a wooden spoon to scrape all of that up.

This step isn’t just for flavor. If there’s stuck-on food on the bottom, your Instant Pot might give you a burn notice and stop cooking. The broth helps deglaze everything so the pot can build pressure without any issues.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use all beef instead of a pork and beef mix for the meatballs?

You can, but the meatballs won’t be quite as tender or flavorful. The pork adds fat and moisture that keeps them soft in the soup, while all beef tends to make them a bit denser.

If you only have beef on hand, it’ll still work fine – just try not to overwork the meat when mixing so they stay as tender as possible.