Description
Comforting Italian wedding soup brings classic Mediterranean flavors to your kitchen, blending delicate meatballs with tender greens and hearty broth. Delicious and nourishing, this traditional dish offers a warm embrace of Italian culinary heritage you can savor with each spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat:
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
Cheese and Herbs:
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Meatball Binding and Seasoning:
- ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Soup Base:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Liquid and Pasta:
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup acini di pepe or orzo pasta
Finishing Ingredients:
- 4 cups baby spinach or escarole, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the meatball mixture by combining all specified ingredients in a spacious mixing bowl. Gently form compact, uniform spheres approximately 3/4 inch in diameter, ensuring consistent size for even cooking.
- Heat olive oil in a robust soup pot over medium temperature. Carefully brown the meatballs in multiple batches, rotating to achieve a golden exterior. Remove partially cooked meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.
- Utilize the same pot to sauté diced onions, carrots, and celery. Allow vegetables to soften and develop subtle caramelization over 5-6 minutes. Introduce minced garlic and continue cooking for an additional minute to release aromatic qualities.
- Pour chicken broth into the vegetable mixture, bringing the liquid to a vigorous boil. Reintroduce the browned meatballs, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Allow the soup to develop flavors for approximately 10 minutes.
- Incorporate the pasta directly into the simmering liquid, cooking according to recommended time guidelines. During the final two minutes of cooking, fold in fresh spinach leaves, watching them gracefully wilt and integrate into the soup’s texture.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, ensuring a harmonious blend of flavors throughout the soup. Serve hot, garnishing with optional freshly grated parmesan cheese for enhanced depth.
Notes
- Customize meatball size for bite-sized comfort, ensuring each spoonful offers a perfect meat-to-soup ratio.
- Avoid overcrowding the pot when browning meatballs to achieve a beautiful golden exterior and prevent steaming.
- Enhance protein options by substituting ground beef with ground turkey or chicken for a lighter, leaner version of the classic soup.
- Boost nutrition by adding extra vegetables like zucchini or kale, transforming this traditional soup into a more vegetable-packed meal.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 300
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg