Italian Wedding Soup
Cozy, hearty, and absolutely worth making a vat of because somehow “just one bowl” is always a fucking lie.
INGREDIENTS:
For the tiny meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
½ lb ground Italian sausage
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
For the soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
¾ cup acini di pepe pasta
4–5 cups fresh baby spinach
½ tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Fresh parsley, optional
DIRECTIONS:
MAKE YOUR TINY LITTLE MEATBALLS. Combine the beef, sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined, but don't beat the ever-loving shit out of it or your meatballs will be dense.
Roll into small meatballs, about ¾–1 inch. Yes, this takes a minute. Yes, halfway through you'll question why you didn't make six enormous meatballs and call it a day. Stay strong.
BROWN THOSE BAD BOYS. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs in batches for a couple minutes, turning as needed. They don't need to cook completely through yet. Remove them and set aside.
VEGETABLE TIME. In the same pot—and absolutely do not wash out all that glorious meatball flavor—add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start softening. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
NOW WE MAKE SOUP. Pour in the chicken broth, add the Italian seasoning, and bring everything to a gentle boil. Add your meatballs back into the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes.
ADD THE TINY PASTA. Stir in the acini di pepe and cook according to the package directions, usually about 8–10 minutes, until tender.
THROW IN THE GREEN SHIT. Add the spinach during the last couple minutes and stir until wilted. Look at you eating vegetables like a responsible fucking adult.
TASTE BEFORE YOU START THROWING SALT AROUND. The broth, sausage, and Parmesan already bring plenty of salty goodness, so taste first. Then adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
Ladle that beautiful bastard into a big bowl, cover it with freshly grated Parmesan, sprinkle on some parsley, and serve it with warm crusty bread slathered in butter.
Because soup without bread is just sad hot water with ambitions.
Go ahead, pretend you even grew the vegetables....take it all!
Comments