I have always admired the elegant presentation of Italian Wedding Soup and the fact it tastes amazing is a bonus! I first had this as a college student when I went home with a friend for a weekend. Her mom made it for us, and I was captivated by how beautiful it was sitting there in front of me and when I tasted it, all I could think of was perfection. It is still my favorite soup!
The soup is so much easier to make that it first appears. Trust me, I do not like fussy and difficult recipes. I make this for dinner on regular nights for the family, for potlucks, and served it to guests at dinner parties – it is for any and every occasion!
You must try this soup and I think you will be glad you did.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
1 lb. chicken sausage, casings removed
⅔ cup fresh white breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic – minced
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves – chopped
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan – plus extra for serving
3 Tbsp. milk
1 extra-large egg – lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
2 Tbsp. good olive oil
1 cup yellow onion – minced
3 carrots (1 cup) – cut into ¼ inch pieces
2 stalks celery (¾ cup) – diced into ¼ inch pieces
10 cups chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
¼ cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, – washed and trimmed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
The Meatballs
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside
Place the ground chicken, decased chicken sausage, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ tsp. pepper in a bowl.
Combine gently with a fork.
With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 ¼ inch meatballs onto lined sheet pan. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.)
Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.
Remove from oven and set aside.
The Soup
In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat.
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 the meatballs – simmer the soup for 1 minute.
Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
Notes
• Wine: Dry white wine really makes up a wonderful part of the delicious broth. Great wines to use: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio.
• Breadcrumbs: Fresh breadcrumbs are delicious, but you can substitute store-bought breadcrumbs – fresh breadcrumbs are not difficult to make but I rarely make them.
• Chicken: You can substitute the ground chicken with ground turkey and the chicken sausage with turkey sausage. Spicy (or regular) Italian Turkey Sausage is fantastic! Pick your favorite version and use it – it will be great! Substituting ground pork or pork sausage is delicious and gives a little more flavor.
• Pasta: Small pasta (like tubetini, stars, or orzo) work the best and stay true to the principle of elegance but for a fun twist, try gnocchi!
• Freezing: This soup freezes well. Once soup is cooled, transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.