Wedding soup actually means the “marriage” of meat and greens. There are so many wonderful versions of this soup, and feel free to vary it as you wish. I made a large batch of meatballs with a combination of pork and beef, and baked them in the oven, instead of the traditional step of simmering the meatballs in chicken broth. Delicious! Once the soup was done, I stored each soup component separately – the broth, meatballs and noodles in order to build a yummy lunch the next day with the leftovers. Often the leftovers are even tastier!
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 small onion grated
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 slice white bread crust trimmed and torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 pounds ground sirloin or ground beef
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Soup
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 cups small sized pasta elbows or ditalini
- 3 cups curly kale
- Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus about 1-inch piece of the rind
Servings: servings
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the grated onion, eggs, garlic, torn bread, Parmesan cheese, beef, pork, salt and pepper together in a bowl and stir gently with a fork or with your hands. Shape the meatballs into 1 1/2 inch diameter balls if you want them small, and 2 1/2 inches for larger meatballs. Place them on a baking sheet. Bake the meatballs for 20-30 minutes (depending on their size) or until cooked through and lightly browned.
- While the meatballs are cooking start the soup. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and carrots and saute until softened, stirring often, about 8 minutes or so. Stir in the chicken stock. Cut off an inch or so off the rind of the Parmesan cheese block and add to the soup (this adds a ton of flavor). Bring to a boil and add the pasta, if using. Add the kale, lower the heat and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste the soup and add salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, add the meatballs and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.