Italian Wedding Soup

© 2011 Wil Mowrey. All Rights Reserved.

This is one of Roger's favorites. This is not a traditional Italian Wedding Soup recipe, but a delicious hybrid that I created several years ago.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 pound ground chicken

1 pound ground pork

1 small onion, finely diced or grated

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

Soup:

12 cups chicken stock

1 small onion, diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

6 oz. baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 cup small pasta, such as ditali or acini de pepe

Instructions:

To make the meatballs:

1. Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs.
2. In a dutch oven heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. In batches, brown meatballs and set aside. Be sure to replenish oil between batches.
3. OR, take the easy route, you can cook the meatballs in the oven. Preheat oven to 350. After shaping the meatballs place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-35 until lightly browned and cooked through.

 To make the soup:

1. Using same dutch oven heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Cook until the onions are translucent & the carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Before the broth comes to a boil add the meatballs and pasta. Boil for 1 minute and reduce heat to low. 
3. Once the pasta is al dente add spinach. After the spinach has wilted add the dill & parmesan cheese. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan and serve immediately.