Delicious and Filling Soup: Italian Wedding

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I’m not a food photographer, but this is what Ina Garten’s Italian Wedding Soup Recipe actually looks like (shout out to my soup cozy that keeps my soup warm and hands from getting 2nd degree burns).

Our friends made us this soup after we had Cohen. When it was served up with a piece of homemade levain bread with butter I was convinced it was the most delicious meal I had ever had. Months later I thought that the fact that I can just given birth may have elevated my thoughts on the meal… I was wrong! This soup is SO TASTY!!! It makes delicious leftovers and the meatballs make it hearty enough to actually fill you up for an entire meal. Word to the wise: you can separate the orzo and add it in right before you eat it if you are eating as left-overs. Thank you Ina Garten for the delicious recipe (and Jeffrey for sharing your queen with the world). We like to double this recipe because it only gets better on day 2, 3, and if you leave the pasta on the side it never gets soggy.

For the meatballs:

3/4 pound ground chicken (we use turkey)

1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed (we use turkey)

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs (author’s edit- you are MAKING YOUR OWN SOUP. Any bread crumbs you can get your hands on are fantastic!)

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving (author’s edit: x3-5 per person)

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup:

2 tablespoons good olive oil (author’s edit: store brand= GOOD)

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces

10 cups homemade chicken stock (cough cough, author’s edit: or Swansons)

1/2 cup dry white wine (author’s edit: or the smidgen of wine that you forbid yourself from drinking because you knew you wanted to make this soup)

1 cup small pasta such as orzo or stars

1/4 cup minced fresh dill (author’s edit: omit)

12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed (author’s edit: how do you trim spinach?)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.*** Set aside.(***NOTE: We like to brown the meatballs in our dutch over, or whatever pot you will be cooking the soup in. It takes longer but then you keep all the crispy, juicy fond for your soup. DEFINITELY recommend this swap. You brown them then put them on the side).

2. For the soup, (in our edit directly add some olive oil directly to your caramelized meatball goodness and proceed with the recipe. It should get dark brown but never black) heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. If it ever starts to get dark brown where it may burn, add some chicken stock. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute 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 then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. 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.