Italian Wedding Soup
User Reviews
5
Italian Wedding Soup
Description
This Italian Wedding Soup features petite meatballs made of ground beef, pork, fresh bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, Parmesan, egg, and seasoning, shaped into small balls roughly 3/4 to 1 inch wide. They are browned in a skillet and partially cooked before simmering in the soup broth. The soup base begins with sautéing carrots, onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until softened, creating an aromatic foundation. Five cans of low-sodium chicken broth provide a light yet rich liquid environment. Acini di pepe pasta and chopped baby spinach are added to cook through while the meatballs finish cooking in the simmering broth. Additional Parmesan cheese is served with the soup for added flavor and garnish.
The result is a hearty yet balanced soup with tender meatballs, soft pasta pearls, vibrant spinach, and a savory vegetable broth. The small meatballs and small pasta lend a pleasing, bite-size texture combination.
This soup works well as a starter or light main dish, offering warmth and traditional flavor suited for cooler weather.
Using fresh rustic bread for bread crumbs enhances meatball texture; leftovers can be adjusted by reducing pasta for a brothier soup. Adding a Parmesan rind during simmering can add extra depth. The recipe yields approximately 12 cups, suitable for several servings.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 8 oz. ground beef lean
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1/2 cup white bread crumbs from fresh bread not dried, fresh
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp minced oregano or 3/4 tsp dried, fresh
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese finely shredded
- 1 egg large
- salt freshly ground
- black pepper freshly ground
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
- 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic minced (1 1/2 Tbsp
- 5 chicken broth low-sodium, 14.5 oz cans
- 1 cup Acini di pepe pasta or orzo pasta, dry
- 6 oz baby spinach roughly chopped, fresh
- Parmesan Cheese for serving, finely shredded
Instructions
For the meatballs:
- Add beef and pork to a large mixing bowl. Add in bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, parmesan, egg, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Gently toss and break up mixture with hands to evenly coat and distribute. Shape mixture into very small meatballs, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch and transfer to a large plate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally (to brown on 2 or 3 sides), about 4 minutes total.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels while leaving oil in skillet. Repeat process with remaining meatballs (note that meatballs won't be cooked through at this point, they'll continue to cook through in the soup).
For the soup:
- While meatballs are browning, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until veggies have softened about 6 - 8 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil. Add in pasta and meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through, about 10 minutes, while adding in spinach during the last minute of cooking.
- Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Use fresh rustic bread ground into fine crumbs for best meatball texture; save remaining bread for serving or freezing.
- Reduce pasta quantity to 3/4 cup if a brothier soup is preferred, as pasta absorbs broth over time.
- Add a Parmesan rind to the soup while simmering to enhance flavor.
- This recipe yields about 12 cups of soup, providing multiple servings.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
