This is one of our go to soup recipes. I use a meatloaf mix, which is just equal parts beef, pork and veal. If find it better than just doing 8 ounces of beef and pork. Also my son added in around 1/4 cup of red wine, you don’t need to do it, but it gives it a nice taste. He does doctor recipes up, not to toot his horn, but he is in his second year of the culinary program at Questar and he got accepted to The Culinary Institute of America for Fall 2021.
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 16 oz meatloaf mix*
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Soup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup diced carrots
- 1 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 3/4 cup diced celery
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 96 oz low sodium chicken broth I use 3 – 32oz boxes
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 cup dry acini de pepe
- 6 oz baby spinach
Instructions
Meatballs
- Add meat mix 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.
- 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.
Soup
- While meatballs are browning, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onions and celery and sauté until veggies have softened about 6 – 8 minutes, add garlic and sauté 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 light boil (about medium or medium-low).
- Cover and cook, 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
* If you can’t find meatloaf mix, you can do 8 oz of beef and 8 oz of pork.
