Keto Italian Wedding Soup
This Keto Italian Wedding Soup features tender, bite-sized meatballs in a savory broth with spinach and low-carb orzo pasta made from lupini beans.
4
Servings
474
Calories
29.8g
Fat
41.5g
Protein
8.3g
Net Carb
17.9g
Total Carbs
I have been making Italian Wedding Soup for years before I was keto. This recipe has tremendous flavor – you just can’t beat it. It’s one of my favorite things to make in bulk and freeze. Now that I found a substitute for traditional orzo and pearl pasta, I can make it low carb! I like to pair it with my famous keto roll recipe since the broth is so good that I have to soak up every bit with some bread.
What makes this recipe keto?
- Keto breadcrumbs – Instead of adding traditional breadcrumbs to the meatballs, I use my favorite keto breadcrumbs – pork panko. Pork panko is just ground up pork rinds. They work best as a breadcrumb substitute for flavor and purpose. Pork panko has zero carbs and is high in protein too.
- Low carb veggies – To keep it low carb, I chose vegetables lower in carbohydrates like spinach and celery. I added in a small amount of onions and carrot for flavor and color. These are higher in carbs compared to other vegetables; however, you can omit or decrease the amount if desired.
- Lupini pasta – I have completely stopped buying shirataki pasta. My new favorite keto pasta is made from lupini beans since the flavor and texture is very similar to traditional noodles. Lupini pasta is low carb and high protein. For this Italian soup recipe, I use lupini rice. It looks exactly like orzo pasta once cooked in the broth.
Keto Italian Wedding Soup Recipe Video
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Keto Meatballs Ingredients
1/2 lb ground beef (93/7)
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1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
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1/2 cup pork panko
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1 large egg
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1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Keto Italian Wedding Soup Base Ingredients
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3 tablespoons olive oil
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1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
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1 carrot, sliced
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3 stalks celery, sliced
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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8 cups chicken broth
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1 cup lupini rice
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3 cups baby spinach leaves
Keto Italian Wedding Soup Directions
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Meatball mixture
Add all ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and mix until combined.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground beef (93/7)
- 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup pork panko
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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Form small meatballs
Form small meatballs by scooping up 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture and rolling it in a ball that is about ¾-1-inch in diameter. Repeat with remaining mixture. This should make around 75-80 meatballs.
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Cook the meatballs
Pour olive oil into a large pot or Dutch oven. Heat over medium heat. When oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches, turning to brown all sides, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining meatballs.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Quick Tip
You don't have to worry about cooking the meatballs completely through as we will add them back to the soup to simmer and should continue cooking in the broth. -
Cook the veggies
To the Dutch oven, add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
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Make it a soup
Return the meatballs to the pot and add broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in lupini rice, lower the heat to a simmer and let cook for 6-8 minutes or until rice is tender.
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup lupini rice
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Marry the spinach with the meatballs
Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
Quick Tip
To serve, top with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.
