Italian Wedding Soup

Is it soup yet?

I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and somehow the conversation turned to Italian Wedding Soup. Although I don't think of it being "soup weather" this time of year, June is indeed "wedding season". Therefore, I declare that to be a good enough excuse for me to post this recipe! I've tried a lot of recipes over the years. Many people make it different ways but this is the combination that I like and everyone seems to love it when I make it. The great thing about this and soup recipes in general is that you can play around with the ingredients until you find the perfect balance for your own taste buds! Mangia!

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Meatballs:

1 pound lean ground beef or ground chicken
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons finely minced garlic

2 teaspoons whole milk

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Soup:

3/4 cup diced celery
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons of olive oil
10 cups chicken broth
1 cup thinly sliced escarole (or more if you like)
1 cup uncooked Ancini de pepe pasta (or Orzo if you can't find Ancini de Pepe)
Ground White Pepper and Kosher salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In medium bowl, combine meatball ingredients and shape into 3/4 inch balls. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In large heavy-bottomed soup pot, saute the onion, carrots and celery in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth. Heat broth to boiling; add meatballs and escarole. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add pasta and season with pepper and bring back to boil. Boil for 6-8 minutes longer or until pasta is al dente. (Depending on the broth you use; i.e. homemade, regular canned, or low sodium canned, you may need to add salt.)

Serve with a little freshly grated Parmesan on top YUM!

If you want to freeze this soup, you should not add the pasta before freezing (it will soak up too much of the broth). Just thaw and bring to a boil an then add the pasta before serving.