Homemade Italian Wedding Soup With Baked Chicken Meatballs
Warm up with this cozy Italian wedding soup recipe featuring escarole greens, tender white beans, and oven-baked tiny chicken meatballs simmered to perfection in a flavorful broth — it's a homemade comfort food classic. The meatballs can be made ahead of time; up to 3 days in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. For timing, this soup is broken down into 3 simultaneous steps: making the meatballs, simmering the soup, and cooking the pasta. Everything happens at once. For example: the meatballs bake while you start the soup, and the pasta cooks while the soup simmers. I've included prompts in the recipe instructions below. Notes & Tips: Chicken Stock: Choose a light-colored chicken stock or broth for this recipe (some stocks are really dark and strong flavored). I use Trader Joe’s organic chicken bone broth which comes in a black pouch, not a box, and is found in the refrigerator section. It’s light in color, has great ingredients, and the subtle taste does not overpower. You can also use vegetable stock. Bay leaves: Use fresh bay leaves, if you can find them. They are sold in the refrigerator section where the rest of the herbs are. The flavor is light and slightly lemony. It's totally different than dried bay leaves. Vegetable Chopper: If you cry your eyes out like me when chopping onions, use this chopper.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 lb . ground chicken
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup ground Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp . chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 rosemary sprig
- (2x) 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 8 cup light-colored chicken stock
- 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried bay leaf)
- 3/4 lb . escarole, chopped
- 1/3 cup Acini di Pepe pasta
- 1/4 cup ground Parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- Pecorino cheese (optional)
- Sourdough bread, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Add the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, rosemary and egg into a bowl; mix well to combine.
- 2
Portion the mixture into tiny meatballs using a teaspoon-sized cookie scoop or by hand. Tip: Lightly wet hands helps with sticking as you work.
- 3
Place the meatballs onto a parchment-lined baking sheet(s). Bake @ 400 F for 10 minutes. Broil for 1-2 minutes for a little color (optional). Set aside.
- 4
In a large Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat.
- 5
Sauté the chopped onions, smashed garlic cloves and rosemary until light golden in color, about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- 6
Add the beans. Pour in the stock. Stir in the fresh bay leaves.
- 7
Bring the soup to a gentle boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Tip: at this time, bring a small pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- 8
Add the escarole to the soup in batches, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
- 9
Once the greens are wilted, add some off the meatballs. I usually add about 1 1/2 cups, but I do it by eye. Add as much (or as little) of the meatballs as you like. You will have plenty leftover.
- 10
Continue to cook the soup for an additional 20 minutes, while you make the pasta. The greens should be super tender when finished. Stir in 1/4 cup of ground Parmesan cheese.
- 11
For the pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside; do not add to the soup.
- 12
Optional step: Puree 1/2 cup of the beans only, with a splash of broth using a stick blender to slightly thicken the soup.
- 13
To serve, portion the soup into bowls adding spoonfuls of the reserved pasta. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, and serve with sourdough bread on the side.