Favorite Italian Wedding Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion powder; shape into 3/4 inch balls.
• In large saucepan, heat broth to boiling; stir in escarole, orzo pasta, chopped carrot and meatballs. Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
• In the meantime, 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 saute until softened, 5 to 6 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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine eggs and bread crumbs. Crumble beef and sausage over mixture and mix well. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. , Place meatballs on a greased rack in a foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink. , Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the carrots, celery and onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, spinach, basil, soup mix, ketchup, thyme and bay leaves. , Drain meatballs on paper towels. Bring soup to a boil; add meatballs. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Add pasta; cook 13-15 minutes longer or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves.

Steps:

• Combine the thyme, bay, oregano and peppercorns in a 10-inch square of cheesecloth and bring the corners together to create a parcel. Tie it closed with kitchen twine.
• Stir the panko, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Stir in the cream, egg and half the grated garlic until completely combined.
• Combine the ground pork and sausage in a large bowl. Pull the ground meat apart with two forks as if you were shredding pulled pork, breaking up the clumps and incorporating the meat without compacting it until thoroughly mixed and no clumps remain.
• Add the breadcrumb mixture to the meat and use the same pulling technique to mix until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
• Scoop out portions of the meat mixture with a 1-ounce ice cream scoop (or use two heaping tablespoons). Roll the meat gently between your hands into balls. Arrange the balls on a rimmed baking sheet. You should have about 24 meatballs.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and cook, turning and rolling occasionally, until they are lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove to a plate; the meatballs will not be cooked through, just browned on the outside. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken skin-side down. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and add the onions, carrots, celery, remaining grated garlic. Season the chicken and vegetables with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits, until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until it's almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 8 cups water and the cheesecloth parcel and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Shred the chicken with two forks, discarding the skin and bones.
• Meanwhile, add the meatballs and pasta to the broth and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the sachet. Stir in the escarole and shredded chicken and continue cooking until the escarole is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Serve topped with parsley and grated Parmesan.

Steps:

• For the meatballs: Put the bread, garlic, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a food processor and pulse until very finely ground. Add the parsley and pulse until finely chopped. Add the egg and pulse until combined. Add the beef, pork and Parmesan and pulse until very well mixed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Roll the mixture into 1-inch meatballs, transferring them to the prepared baking sheet.
• For the soup: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large, wide pot over medium-high heat. Add half of the meatballs and cook, stirring gently occasionally, until browned on most sides and just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the meatballs to the baking sheet (they will cook again so don't worry about contamination). Repeat with the remaining meatballs.
• Add the carrot, celery and onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, Parmesan rind if using, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and bring to a brisk simmer. Add the pasta or couscous and cook according to the package instructions for al dente.
• Add the escarole and meatballs to the soup and return to a simmer. Simmer until the escarole is slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rind and discard. Sprinkle with the parsley and top with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with more Parmesan on the side.

Steps:

• To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
• To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.