Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
The best recipe for Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup, made with turkey meatballs, acini de pepe pasta, and spinach! This is a homemade healthy and comforting dinner recipe that is easy to make in a pressure cooker!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 291kcal
Ingredients
Ingredients for Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs I prefer seasoned
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup parsley finely chopped
- Salt pepper to taste
Ingredients for Soup:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 8 cups chicken stock I prefer to use Homemade Chicken Stock
- ½ cup acini de pepe pasta
- 4 cups spinach
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together ground turkey, an egg, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, minced garlic, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Using a 1 teaspoon cookie scoop, make 1-inch balls. You will have about 30 meatballs.
- Set the Instant Pot to “SAUTE” function.
- Add some olive oil. When the oil is hot add half of the meatballs in a single layer.
- NOTE: I like to brown the meatballs in 2-3 batches, so they get perfect brown color outside.
- Brown them for about 2-3 minutes, then scoop them out into a separate plate and set aside. Continue the same with the rest of the meatballs.
- After the meatballs are done, add the chopped onions and celery to the pot and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until they are softened and translucent.
- Press the “CANCEL” button.
- When done, add the browned meatballs and chopped carrots.
- Pour in chicken broth and stir everything together.
- Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is set to “SEAL”.
- Cook the soup on manual high pressure for 5 minutes. When done, do a quick pressure release.
- Open the lid and stir the soup.
- Press “SAUTE” button again.
- Bring the liquid to boil and add acini de pepe pasta. Let it cook for about 8 minutes.
- When the pasta is almost done, add spinach and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Video
Notes
NOTE 1: When browning the meatballs, do it in 2-3 batches. Place them on the bottom of the pot in a single payer and sear for a few minutes on each side. You don’t have to cook them through, as we will cook them later.
NOTE 2: When the soup is almost done and the pasta is cooking, taste the broth. If you use LOW SODIUM chicken broth, you might need to add more salt. If you use a regular (high sodium) broth, depending on the brand, it might be a bit too salty. Add 1-2 cups of water to even it out.
How to Store. After the soup is cooled off, transfer it to an air-tight container. It will last fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. I think it tastes even better on the 2nd-3rd day, as all the flavors blend together.
How to Freeze. This recipe is great for meal prepping and freezing. You can transfer it to an air-tight container or a freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, just leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 1428mg | Potassium: 731mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5677IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 3mg