Italian Wedding Soup

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Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Servings: Servings

Author: Meghan McMorrow | Fox and Briar

Ingredients

For the meatballs

1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs or panko
½ cup grated Parmesan
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced
3 medium carrots peeled and diced
3 celery ribs diced
2 garlic cloves minced
Kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal
8 cups chicken stock
4 cups Kale, chopped into pieces and stems removed
½ cup acini di pepe Can sub with another tiny pasta such as orzo
Grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions

Line a sheet pan foil or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For the meatballs, combine the ground beef, pork, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan, egg, oregano,1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and mix gently with your hands until everything is combined
With a teaspoon, drop 1 inch meatballs onto the prepared sheet. Roll each meatball into a ball. Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
In the meantime, prepare the soup. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened and starting to turn golden 6-8 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, increase heat and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the kale and simmer about 2 more minutes. and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. If you used No or Low Sodium Chicken broth, you will probably need to add more salt to taste. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

Notes

Leftovers: Allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Leftovers can also be frozen. Freeze in airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a pot on the stove over medium low heat.

Substitutions: ground beef and pork can be replaced with ground turkey and chicken sausage respectively, or you can use all beef or all pork.

Kale can be replaced with spinach, however spinach cooks much faster, so add it only in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.

I did NOT use low sodium chicken broth. If you use No or Low Sodium Broth, you will need to add more salt to the soup to taste.

As a time saving tip, I recommend making a double batch of meatballs, freezing half and using them to make another batch of soup next time.

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