Winter is officially here, which means soup season is officially here. When it’s cold out I think we all can agree that soup is the ultimate remedy to beat the freezing temperatures outside. Or if you live in Florida like I used to, beat the not so hot temperatures outside.
I have to say, after moving to Colorado, hearing people talk about how cold it is with 5o degree temperatures in Florida makes me laugh now. I used to be one of those people though so I get it. However, nowadays when it hits 50 here I run outside like it’s summertime to feel the sunshine on my face.
Soups have become much more regular in my life due to the fact I live in an actual cold climate. This Italian wedding soup in particular is one of my favorites. The meatballs are so good you’ll want to eat them as is. I have even made them to go with spaghetti and they are just as good as beef or lamb meatballs in my opinion.
What is also great about this recipe is the heartiness of the soup. Sometimes soups can feel like an appetizer but with the meatballs, pasta, and veggies you really feel like you’re eating a complete meal. This really is the perfect meal to beat those winter blues!
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ pound chicken sausage, sweet or spicy, casings removed
- ⅔ cup fresh white bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup pecorino cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 large carrots, cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, cut into ¼ inch pieces
- 10 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup small pasta, like tubetini
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- For the meatballs, place ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, cheeses, milk, egg, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and combine with a fork.
- With a teaspoon, drop 1 ¼ meatballs onto baking sheet (about 40 meatballs altogether). Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside.
- For the soup, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions, carrots, celery and sauté until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and add the pasta, cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Add the dill and cooked meatballs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in fresh spinach and cook for one minute.
- Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Love this soup-even when it is not cold out!