Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup

One of my favourite soups ever is Italian Wedding soup.  I even served it at my wedding!  There's just something so satisfying about this magical combination of meatballs, tiny pasta, and vegetables - topped with some freshly grated Parmesan.  A bowl hits every food group!  It takes a little bit of effort, but make a big pot and you won't regret it, I promise.

The term "wedding soup" is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata ("married soup"), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meat go well together.  Traditionally, the recipe calls for meatballs made with pork or beef, and some sort of greens.  Here is my (lighter) version of this Italian-American classic.

 

Ingredients:

Serves 6

Meatballs

-1/2 lb lean ground chicken or turkey
-1 small onion, finely diced

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/4 tsp black pepper

-3 tbsp Italian seasoned bread crumbs

-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

-1 egg, beaten

Soup

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 large carrot, peeled and diced

-1 rib of celery, diced

-1 small onion, diced

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-8 cups of low sodium chicken broth

-4 cups packed chopped escarole (or baby spinach)

-1/3 cup Acini di pepe pasta (or other very small pasta)

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp black pepper

• Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Combine all the meatball ingredients into a large bowl.  Mix with a fork or your hands to combine.  Do not over mix.
• Dip your hands into a clean bowl of cold water. This helps to shape your meat into smooth rounds.
• Form 1/2 tsp sized balls and place on the baking sheet. Continue with remaining meat.
• Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes until cooked, flipping them over halfway through.  They should be lightly browned and fully cooked.
• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook for 5 min.
• Add stock and meatballs.  Turn heat up to high until stock boils.
• Add pasta and escarole, stirring until greens have wilted into the soup. 
• Turn heat down to med and place a tight fitting lid on the pot.  A tight lid is needed so all the stock doesn't evaporate.  Leave lid on for 10 min, or until pasta is cooked (refer to package directions).
• Adjust seasoning to taste.  Serve warm with freshly grated Parmesan.