Italian Wedding Soup
This soup literally stoled the show at the last Granny Camp I hosted (a gathering with my Mother, my good friends and some of their Mothers). I host this gathering once every couple of months, we have a luncheon and come together to knit, needlepoint, cross stitch, or some ladies come over to have a cup of coffee and visit with each other. I serve two different soups.1. A hearty soup or stew that includes a protein 2. A vegetarain soupThis lovely recipe from, Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics cookbook, was a slightly lighter version given the meatballs and broth were chicken.
Ingredients
For The Chicken Meatballs
- 3/4 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed
- 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
- 2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 3 tbsp milk
- 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
For The Soup
- 2 tbsp good olive oil
- 1 cup minced yellow onion
- 1 cup 1/4 inch-diced carrots (3 carrots)
- 3/4 cup 1/4 inch-diced celery (2 stalks)
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp better than bouillon
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup small pasta
- 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
- 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
Instructions
- Pre heat the oven 350°For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1-to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) 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, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper.Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into the soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.HAPPY EATING!!
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