Italian Wedding Soup

I have exciting news to share. My husband and I found a perfect home for us and closed on the house last Monday. (If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you already knew that.) What a great feeling to be homeowners! It seems like we’re hardly even home these days, and even though I still find time to blog new recipes, it’s hard to find the time to actually write it down and post it for you guys:). We’re over at the new house all the time, doing a bit of remodeling before we move in. We also have some other exciting things going on, but I’ll keep you in suspense for a bit. Ha ha. You’ll find out very soon, probably within a week, so if you want to find out as soon as it happens, make sure to follow me on social media.

Even though I grew up with mainly Eastern European food, I also grew up in a small town with a lot of Italians. Pizza, Chicken Riggies, Tomato Pie and so many amazing Italian bakeries were bountiful in Utica, NY.  I love the simplicity of the Italian cuisine, which always seems to achieve incredible flavors. I’m told that Italian Wedding Soup is a very common dish in the Italian household, probably just like Russian Meatball Soup in our family. The light, flavorful broth pairs so well with some basic aromatics, like onions, carrots, celery and garlic. I chose to make the soup with kale, but you can make it with spinach or even lettuce. Since Italians are so famous for their meatballs, it’s no wonder this soup features them too. With a bit of small pasta and some Parmesan cheese, this soup will delight your tastebuds. It’s perfect for the summer because it’s so easy and fast to prepare. Who wants to be slaving over a kitchen stove during the gorgeous summer days? “Ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

4 oz ground beef

4 oz ground pork

1/2 onion, finely grated

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/2 Tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

1/3 – 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Soup:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

8-10 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup white wine

1/3  cup small pasta (orzo, ditalini, etc)

4 cups kale, chopped

1/4 – 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1-2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

salt, pepper

Instructions:

To make the meatballs, mix all the ingredients in a small or medium bowl. (Let the bread crumbs soak in the milk for about 5 minutes first.)

You can use any ground meat that you prefer. With dampened hands, shape them into small meatballs, about 1/2 Tablespoon each. You should have 30-35 meatballs.

Prep the rest of the ingredients.

In a medium pot or a dutch oven, heat up the oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the carrots, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes or so. Pour in the chicken broth and the white wine.

Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the pasta and the meatballs.

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the pasta and the meatballs are almost cooked through. Add the kale. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. Garnish the soup with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Keep in mind that the longer the soup stands, the more liquid the pasta will soak up. If you serve the soup immediately, this doesn’t matter, but if you’re making enough to have leftovers or are making it ahead of time, add more liquid than you think you’ll need.