This recipe for Italian wedding soup uses the combination of ground chicken and chicken sausage to give a healthy spin on the traditional soup recipe. This soup is perfect cozy recipe we need for cold winter nights.
I recently moved into a larger apartment and I am so darn cold! I texted my mom about it and she kindly suggested that I turn on the heat. I'm not dumb ,I promise you. It is just that in my old apartment I would turn on the heat and it was like a tropical storm of hot air erupted from the vent. It would blare heat for maybe two minutes, and my entire apartment would be a sauna. For that reason, I rarely turned on the heat in the winter and now I know what a blessing that was. Flash forward to my new place and I am so chilled to the bone. I guess it was time for me to learn at age 29, that you can in fact turn on the heat during winter in New England.
Now that the winter is in full force and I am constantly freezing, I have been dreaming of soup. Now this isn't some cute blogger method of saying #soupseason. I literally have been dreaming of soup. Ever have a dream you're trying to find soup to ease your frozen body? It's not a dream, it's a nightmare.
I truly was so happy to have this Italian wedding soup to eat during the week and warm up. This is funny considering for my entire childhood, I hated Italian wedding soup. Do you know why I hated it? I hated it because it had greenery floating in it. Spinach in soup was essentially poison. Now that I am older and have come to realize that I like greens, it is one of my favorite soups. Not only do I love eating it, but I love making it. Making meatballs I have come to find, is a true passion of mine, so any meal that involves the addition of meatballs is a true fun task for me.
So lets talk about the soup. Having giant meatballs in your soup can be fun, but they also can be distracting. Make your meatballs small. After all, this is a soup, not a pasta dish. Second, vary up your meat. Traditional Italian wedding soup is made with a combination of ground pork and ground beef but I opt for ground chicken mixed with chicken sausage. It makes the meatballs much lighter and since they are literally floating in liquid, you don't need to worry about them being dry. Also, experiment with your greenery. I typically think of spinach when I think of Italian wedding soup but the traditional recipe was made with bitter greens like chard, escarole, or kale. I love to use curly kale in my soup. It's a bit sturdier than spinach and provides almost a crunch to your soup. Moral of the story, Italian weddings soup actually got its name because it resembles a marriage of ingredients. Make it the way you want.
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1 pound chicken sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup ground parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
For the soup:
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
two stalks celery, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper
10 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup small pasta
6 oz fresh kale, chopped
Finely shredded parmesan, for topping
1. Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until fully combined. Shape meatballs into tiny balls (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick). Set aside on a baking sheet.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sear meatballs on all sides until golden brown (about 2 - 3 minutes on each side). Remove from the pot and set aside.
3. Add in onions, carrots, and celery and cook until veggies have softened. About 6 - 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add in garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Add in chicken stock and lemon juice. Return meatballs to the pot and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add in the pasta and cook for another ten minutes, until soft. Add in the kale and allow it to wilt. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Ladle the soup into large bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
For the meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
1 pound chicken sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup ground parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
For the soup:
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
two stalks celery, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper
10 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup small pasta
6 oz fresh kale, chopped
Finely shredded parmesan, for topping
1. Combine meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until fully combined. Shape meatballs into tiny balls (about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick). Set aside on a baking sheet.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Sear meatballs on all sides until golden brown (about 2 - 3 minutes on each side). Remove from the pot and set aside.
3. Add in onions, carrots, and celery and cook until veggies have softened. About 6 - 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add in garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds.
3. Add in chicken stock and lemon juice. Return meatballs to the pot and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add in the pasta and cook for another ten minutes, until soft. Add in the kale and allow it to wilt. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Ladle the soup into large bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
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