Italian Wedding Soup
Title: Italian wedding soup
Cook time: 40 minutes
Level: Easy
Serving: 8
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup diced celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, pecorino, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and mix gently with a fork.
With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (about 40 meatballs). Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set apart.
Meanwhile, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
Personal Suggestion: This is a traditional Italian - American dish, the soup is popular in the United States, especially Ohio and Pennsylvania. This is a great soup that is perfect with sandwiches for a quick and easy meal, you can used too ground turkey, ground beef or pork in place of chicken for a different tastier.
