SOUP SERIES: savory italian wedding soup with ground chicken meatballs
I’ve talked about minestrone being the perfect soup. It really is. It’s my favorite if I was forced to pick one. Aside from the components, I think my favorite part is the combination of tomato and chicken broth. Check out my minestrone recipe if I’ve piqued your interest.
My second favorite soup may just be Italian Wedding. I’ve had a couple different versions of this that I love, but just a basic Italian Wedding soup that boasts a richly flavorful chicken broth and is loaded with small chicken meatballs and freshly grated parmesan calls to me. It’s comforting and very savory. The recipe I’m sharing here is adapted from one I found online, but is almost unrecognizable from the original recipe. If you have the time and willingness, try it with the caramelized pearl onions. The jus you’ll get in the sauté pan from the onions, butter, and sugar is a gift to add to your stock.
Classic Italian Wedding Soup
This is a classic Italian Wedding Soup with a rich, flavorful broth, loaded with small meatballs and fresh vegetables. The kicker is caramelized pearl onions that add flavor to the soup and a richness to the broth.
Ingredients
MEATBALLS
- 1 lb. ground chicken
- 12 oz. Italian sausage
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 TBSP Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper
SOUP
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup white wine
- 12 cups chicken stock (+1-2 tbsp chicken Better than Bouillon, if using unseasoned homemade stock)
- Parmesan rind
- 4 cups spinach or kale
- Pinch of chile flakes
- ½ cup grated parmesan
GARNISH (Optional)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- 20-30 pearl onions, peeled and stems removed
Instructions
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add all meatball ingredients and stir until combined. Roll into 1 inch meatballs (the key here is not to have too large of meatballs. I like them smaller, but I'd say no larger than a spherical quarter. Set aside.
This next step is completely optional as a garnish. It takes a bit of time to blanch and peel the pearl onions. I love it because it the sauce left in the pan adds a wonderful dimension to the broth. If doing this, place all pearl onions in a pan over medium heat. Add a knob of butter and 1 tsp sugar, allow it to caramelize a bit on all sides. Then add water till they are halfway covered and top with a lid. About 10-15 minutes will cook them until tender and caramelize them. When the water is gone, they should be ready (prick with a knife to see if it's soft). If not, add water and continue. If yes, set aside pan with onions and season with salt.
In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, add olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic cloves and cook until tender. Add the wine and allow to cook off slightly. Next add the chicken stock and bring to a rolling boil. Add the parmesan rind. Then add meatballs in batches so that you don’t cool down the soup lower than a rolling boil. Gently stir and continue adding meatballs until they’re all in the pot. Allow the meatballs to cook for 5-10 minutes and then add pearl onions. Steal a ladle of the soup broth and put it in the onion pan and stir off heat to incorporate all of the jus from the onions. Add this back to the soup. Next add in spinach and stir for a couple minutes allowing the spinach to wilt. Season with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan.
Notes
Inspired by: therecipecritic.com