Italian Wedding Soup
This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is engineered for perfection, with flavorful meatballs and velvety vegetables. It makes 6 servings and takes about 50 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 8 oz lean ground beef
- 8 oz smoked beef bacon
- 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs (from fresh bread not dried)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano (or 3/4 tsp dried)
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soup
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups chopped carrots
- 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 4 cloves garlic, (minced (1 1/2 Tbsp))
- 5 cans (14.5 oz) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry acini di pepe (or orzo pasta**)
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach (roughly chopped )
- Finely shredded parmesan (for serving)
Instructions
Meatballs
- Add beef and smoked beef bacon to a large mixing bowl. Add in bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, parmesan, egg, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Gently toss and break up mixture with hands to evenly coat and distribute. Shape mixture into very small meatballs, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch and transfer to a large plate.
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook until browned, turning occasionally (to brown on 2 or 3 sides), about 4 minutes total.
- Transfer meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels while leaving oil in skillet. Repeat process with remaining meatballs (note that meatballs won't be cooked through at this point, they'll continue to cook through in the soup).
Soup
- While meatballs are browning, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until veggies have softened about 6 - 8 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken broth, season soup with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil. Add in pasta and meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender and meatballs have cooked through, about 10 minutes, while adding in spinach during the last minute of cooking.
- Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with parmesan cheese.
Notes
The olive oil timing trick is critical to unlocking the full potential of the vegetables. The addition of smoked beef bacon to the meatballs transforms the entire soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 396kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSodium: 362mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g
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