Italian Wedding Soup
My Italian wedding soup is a simple, robust, and flavorful meal with meatballs, pasta, and spinach in a savory vegetable and chicken broth.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 cup acini de pepe pasta (or pearl couscous (See Note 1))
- 8 oz fresh spinach (or 10 oz frozen/thawed)
- 1 lb hot or mild ground Italian sausage ((See Note 2))
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 3 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or black pepper)
- 2 carrots (diced (2 cups))
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced (1 1/2 cups))
- 2 celery ribs (diced (1 cup))
- 4 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 6 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
- Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- Crusty French bread
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
- 2
Combine the ground sausage, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl. (See Note 3)
- 3
Use your hands to mix together until thoroughly combined. Shape the mixture into 40 small meatballs, about 1 tablespoon each. Transfer to prepared rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes (they will be cooked fully after simmering in soup). Remove from oven and set aside.
- 4
Cook the acini de pepe pasta, or pearl couscous per package directions and drain. Set aside, covered.
- 5
To a large soup pot or Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion and celery and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for another 3 minutes.
- 6
Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the cooked meatballs and any pan juices and simmer 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the pot. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted (if using thawed frozen spinach add half, or all if preferred) about 2 minutes. Season to taste.
- 7
Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty French bread.