Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- ¾ pound ground chicken
- ½ pound chicken sausage, casings removed
- 2/3 cup white bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 extra-large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, minced
- 1 cup carrots (around 3 carrots), diced
- ¾ cup celery (around 2 stalks), diced
- 10 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup small pasta (acini di pepe or orzo)
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill
- 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place all ingredients listed for the meatballs, including the salt and pepper, in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.
- Drop (by teaspoonful) 1- to 1¼-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have around 40 meatballs.) Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
- In the meantime, heat the olive oil over
medium-low heat in a large soup pot with a heavy bottom. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, around 5 minutes. - Add the chicken stock and wine to the pot, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the broth. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill to the soup and stir. Add the meatballs to the soup, simmering for 1 minute to warm the meatballs.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, or until the spinach has just begun to wilt.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
