With the chillier temperatures in the air and it getting darker earlier, I have been wanting to find the perfect soup for dinner. After searching Pinterest, I found a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup and decided to give it a try!
This recipe is from The Cozy Cook and is a great soup for when you want to be warmed up and have a cozy meal at home.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Meatballs
- 1/2lb. ground beef, 80% lean
- 1/2lb. ground pork
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs, homemade is best
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated into a powder
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- salt & freshly ground pepper
Soup
- 1 ¼ cups carrots, diced
- 1 ¼ cups yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth,
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt/pepper
- ¾ cup acini de pepe pasta, , uncooked
- 8 oz. fresh spinach
To Garnish
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Stove Top Method
- Gently combine the meatball ingredients, don’t overwork the meat, we want tender meatballs.
- Roll the meat into 1-inch balls.
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the meatballs in batches for 2-3 minutes. The inside of the meatball will finish cooking in the soup.
- Remove the meatballs and set aside.
- Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepperif desired.
- Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the meatballs and pasta.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through.
- Stir in the spinach.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese and serve!
Crock Pot Method
- Gently combine the meatball ingredients. Don't overwork the meat.
- Roll the meat into 1-inch balls.
- This Crock Pot allows you to brown the meatballs on the stove top first. I recommend this as the brown bits left on the bottom of the pot transfer lots of flavor into the soup.
- Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and browned meatballs.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Add the acini de pepe and cook on low for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the Spinach.
- Top with Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and serve!
I hope you decide to give this a try and like it as much as our family did!
