This Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot is the perfect marriage of Italian-inspired meatballs and veggie soup. It’s delicious no matter what time of year it is, and easily fits low-carb and GAPS Diet lifestyles, with a paleo option, as well.

In college I had a friend who was married to an Italian. One night I was having dinner at their house when my friend served up a big pot of Italian wedding soup with garlic bread. I was pretty sure I was in soup heaven. Meatballs, veggies, pasta, Parmesan cheese… you can’t get much perfecter in soup than that. I loved the soup so much that I asked my friend to make it for my wedding a few months later. She obliged and served the 200+ guests at my reception her Italian wedding soup.

Since then I’ve made wedding soup once or twice, with gluten-free pasta, of course. But since going on a mostly grain-free diet I hadn’t tried to make it until my friend Emily sent me a copy of her latest cookbook, Low-Carb Cooking with Your Instant Pot. When I saw the Italian wedding soup recipe I knew it was a sign that I needed to try it again.

And it was everything that I remembered.

Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot from raiasrecipes.com

Low-Carb Cooking with Your Instant Pot

If you’re on the lookout for a new healthy cookbook, let me recommend Low-Carb Cooking in Your Instant Pot. It has 80 easy recipes for everything from comfort food, side dishes and desserts. While the Italian wedding soup was definitely one of my favorites, there are quite a few other recipes my kids love.

Besides this delicious cookbook, my friend Emily has also authored two other cookbooks: Amazing Mexican Favorites with Your Instant Pot and  The Art of Great Cooking in Your Instant Pot. They’re both amazing cookbooks and you can see my reviews of them in my chikcne fajitas in the Instant Pot and honey orange pumpkin pie in the Instant Pot recipes! 

Italian Wedding Soup in the Instant Pot

Beef. I use organic ground beef for the meatballs in this wedding soup recipe. With the addition of a few herbs, salt, an egg, and Parmesan cheese, these meatballs are amazing! If you can’t do eggs, you can leave that out.

Parmesan. While it’s delicious, the Parmesan cheese can be left out of the wedding soup, but is it really wedding soup without Parmesan? I’m not sure… I tend to go with no.

Herbs. A delicious blend of parsley, mint, and thyme give this Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot a deliciously fresh flavor! You can use fresh or dried. If you’re using fresh, you will need to double the amount used.

Veggies. Emily’s wedding soup uses spinach, zucchini, celery, fennel, and tomatoes. I left out the one small bulb of fennel and the two tomatoes since my kids aren’t fans and I wanted them to eat this meal. Feel free to add those back in if you want! I also have used kale instead of the spinach and it’s just as delicious, though it doesn’t taste a little different.

More delicious Instant Pot recipes.

If you’re on the lookout for more delicious recipes to make in your Instant Pot, here are a few of my family’s favorites. They’re all healthy, real food, and grain-free.

Pasta-free Italian wedding soup in the Instant Pot from raiasrecipes.com

In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!

Italian Wedding Soup in the Instant Pot

Free from grain, gluten, and sugar, with dairy-free option.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

  • 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 1 tablespoon mint
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (leave out for paleo version)

For the soup:

  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 4 large celery ribs with leaves, cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
  • 2 small zucchini, thickly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 2 tablespoons parsley
  • 1 tablespoon mint
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
  • 4 cups fresh organic spinach or kale
  • shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, as needed (leave out for paleo version)

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients together with hands until everything is incorporated.

Roll into 2-inch balls and set aside on a plate.

Put all the soup ingredients except spinach and Parmesan in the Instant Pot and stir to combine. Add the meatballs on top, making sure they’re covered with liquid.

Put the lid on the Instant Pot, seal the valve, and set the “manual/pressure cook” button for 13 minutes. When it is done cooking, push “warm/cancel” and let natural release for 5 minutes, then open the vent and let out all the pressure.

Remove the lid and add in the spinach, stirring until it’s all wilted. 

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired.

Notes

I use the Instant Pot Duo 6 quart 7-in-1 for this recipe.

Recipe taken from Low-Carb Cooking with Your Instant Pot by Emily Sunwell. Used with permission.

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