The Ultimate Italian Wedding Soup
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I’ve tried a LOT of recipes for Wedding Soup but I think this is the best for flavor and heartiness. Even my 8 year old grandson (Mr. Picky Eater) loves it! I make big batches of this and freeze in plastic soup containers for giving away and quick suppers in the Winter, although this soup is delicious anytime of the year.
How do I make the meatballs for this recipe?
If you’ve even made meatballs before, you know it’s just a matter of throwing the ingredients into a bowl and gently mixing the ingredients together with your open fingers. For these meatballs, I roll a thin rope out, cut into small pieces and roll the meatballs so you end up with a meatball about 3/4 of an inch.That’s it…meatballs are done. You can do this ahead of time, or sometimes I make them and freeze on a cookie sheet til frozen, and store in zipper top bags.
Unlike a lot of soups using meatballs, I don’t bake or fry the meatballs. I don’t care for the browned flavor it gives your soup. I follow the way my husband’s grandmother made her meatballs…drop right into the sauce raw and let the sauce (or in this case soup) cook them. She was Italian through and through and came to America from Italy. She made the best Braciola, Chicken soup, meatballs, you name it.
Now that the meatballs are made, what’s next?
Chop the carrots, onions and celery and saute until slightly softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
Add meatballs and cook on medium low for about 15 minutes.
Add pasta and continue to cook about 10 minutes.
Add escarole and cook until tender 10 to 15 minutes. I use escarole instead of spinach you see in a lot of recipes. Spinach gets too slimy for my liking, and I don’t think it puts much flavor into the soup. And you can saute the leftover escarole with a little garlic and oil for a great side dish.
This is the easiest and most flavorful soup I have had! Next time you are looking for a comforting and filling soup, this is it!
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The Ultimate Italian Wedding Soup
- Total Time65 minutes
- Yield16 cups 1x
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 8 oz. ground beef
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Salt and Pepper
For the Soup
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1–1/2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1–1/2 cups onions, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 cups chicken stock (3 – 32 oz containers)
- 1 Tbsp low or no salt granulated chicken bouillon
- 3/4 cup dry acini di pepe or orzo pasta
- 6 oz. escarole, chopped
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
For the Meatballs
- Add beef and pork to a large bowl. Add bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper.
- Gently mix the meatball mixture with your hands and open fingers to evenly mix the mixture. Shape mixture into meatballs about 3/4 of an inch.
For the Soup
- In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add carrots, onions and celery and saute until slightly softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute 1 minute more.
- Pour in chicken broth and bouillon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Add raw meatballs to the hot soup. Cook about 15 minutes on medium low heat.
- Add pasta and cook another 10 minutes.
- Add escarole and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until fully cooked.
- Serve warm with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
If your soup is too thick, add more chicken broth.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian