Italian wedding soup, known in Italian as , is an Italian soup consisting of leafy green vegetables, small meatballs, and small pasta such as acini di pepe, ditalini, or orzo, cooked in chicken broth. It is a staple in many Italian restaurants and diners in the United States, and is central to Neapolitan cuisine; described by food writer Arthur Schwartz as "the king of Neapolitan soups".
The name wedding soup comes from a mistranslation of the Italian , which translates as 'married soup'. The dish has no association with weddings in Italy. Instead, its name references a marriage of the meat and vegetables inside the broth. The pairing is gendered, with porcine meat representing a man and green vegetables a woman. This cultural metaphor is elaborated on by the Neapolitan food writer Nello Oliviero, emphasizing the contrast of the fat of the pig with the delicacy of the vegetables:
Italian wedding soup is an example of the large soups that are common in southern Italy, often prepared around ingredients that are understood to pair well. In the late 16th century, the prelate Giovanni Battista del Tufo described the soup as "the daily food of the true Neapolitan", affirmed by Schwartz, who wrote it was "the mainstay of the people before pasta became the staff of life".
A notable omission in the soup is tomatoes, as the dish's origin predates their introduction to Italy. The greens that are included are typically a mix, often two or three among spinach, chicory, dandelions, endive, or fennel greens. In Campania, broccoli rabe is a key ingredient, described by Schwartz as "essential, a law". In Naples, the meatballs are often replaced with pork sausage.