How to make Italian Wedding Soup
Italian Wedding soup is a true classic, simple, tasty, and delicious with meatballs, and leafy greens. While the ingredients are frequently used in Italian cuisine, the recipe is more American than Italian, as it was brought over to the US. The recipe evolved as ingredients changed over time depending upon what the immigrants had access to. Italian? American? Italian-American? Either way, its delicious!
The name “Italian Wedding Soup” refers to the “marriage” of greens and meat in the soup. Recipe below!
For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey breast
- 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt to taste
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
- 2 small carrots, finely diced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 16 oz fresh spinach, or any dark leafy green, chopped
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 3 ounces (1/2 cup) uncooked acini di pepe, orzo, or any other small pasta
Process:
- Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, bay leaf, onions, garlic, and carrots. Saute this mixture for three to four minutes, until soft. Then, turn the heat down to medium. Add the chicken broth, italian seasoning, cover, and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, continue to simmer on low heat.
- Gently mix together the meatball ingredients – ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, salt and cheese in a bowl until everything is well combined.
- Form small meatballs, about 1 tbsp each. Place them on a baking sheet and broil in the oven on the 2nd rack from the top until the top is golden, for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the browned meatballs from the baking dish into the simmering broth. Then add the uncooked pasta and chopped greens.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste, cook for about 10 minutes or until the pasta and meatballs are cooked through. Serve and enjoy!
