I love this soup. My husband loves this soup. My kids love this soup. It is a warm, satisfying one-pot miracle meal. There are endless variations of this soup, but the main elements are meatballs, clear, chicken-based broth, pasta, and greens. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the term “wedding soup” comes from the Italian language phrase “minestra maritata (“married soup”),” which is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination/”marriage” of greens and the broth. You can really use any kinds of greens and any kind of meat, but my favorite is ground chicken or turkey and spinach. I also use alphabet pasta, which the kids get a kick out of. Enjoy!
Italian Wedding Soup
Serves: 8 servings
Ingredients
- For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken, turkey, pork or beef (or a combination)
- ½ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- fresh ground pepper
- For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 3-4 carrots, ¼-inch diced
- 3 stalks celery, ¼-inch diced
- 2 quarts homemade chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup dry small pasta such as orzo or acini de pepe pasta
- 8 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the meatballs, place the ground meat, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a bowl and mix well with a fork or your hands. Using your hands roll mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
- In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and cook for a couple more minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain and add to soup.
- Add the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with extra grated Parmesan.
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