Italian Wedding Soup
This soup featuring tiny pasta, greens, meatballs and cheese is sure to become a favorite!
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs:
- 1 pound ground meat beef, pork, chicken or turkey or a combination of them combined with some sausage
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs preferably fresh
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the Soup:
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 cups quality chicken broth (I use and love ANETO)
- 1 cup acini di pepe or other tiny pasta
- 1 large bunch leafy greens roughly chopped (e.g., kale, escarole, curly endive, spinach)
- Freshly grated Parmesan for serving
- Red pepper flakes for serving optional
Instructions
- Place all of the meatball ingredients in a bowl or food processor and knead with your hands or pulse with the food processor until thoroughly combined. Form the mixture into tiny meatballs, about 1/2 inch in diameter and place them on a platter or cookie sheet. Wrap them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until ready to use.
- In a medium stock pot, heat the oil and cook the onions and garlic until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Gently drop the meatballs into the soup followed by the pasta. Let the meatballs and pasta simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the leafy greens and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Dish up the soup and serve sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- Optional (a tradition in some circles): At very end, once the greens are wilted, whisk 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese together with 1 large egg. Stir the broth to get it moving and gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the broth, stirring it gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg.
Notes
*The meatballs can be made a day in advance as a time-saver and kept refrigerated.
*The longer the soup sits the more liquid the pasta will absorb, so if eating leftovers add more chicken broth.
*The longer the soup sits the more liquid the pasta will absorb, so if eating leftovers add more chicken broth.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 603mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1235IU | Vitamin C: 16.4mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe? Mention @daringgourmet or hashtag #daringgourmet