Italian Wedding Soup

A quick, vegetable-forward chicken soup

Italian wedding soup with spinach and meatballs — the wedding is the marriage of bitter greens and meat, not because of a bride and groom.

Soup season has arrived. My sister-in-law planted the idea of making Italian wedding soup, and I couldn’t contain myself. Wedding Soup, also known as minestra maritata, has a reputation that it is served as part of traditional Italian weddings. That’s not actually true, although its not uncommon at Italian American weddings. The marriage is actually the combination of meatballs and bitter greens like spinach. The soup is typically served on holidays like Easter, and even became an Italian American Thanksgiving side in some circles. The meatballs are often made from ground chicken, but can also be made from 2:1 pork to beef.

Ingredients

• 1 fat carrot

• 2 stalks celery

• 1 onion

• Some garlic

• Rind of parmigiana

• 6 - 8 cups of broth

• 10 - 12 oz of spinach

• 16 - 24 oz of ground chicken.

• 1 to 2 cups of Breadcrumbs

• 1 egg

• splash of cream or milk

• 1 lb ditalini

Instructions

• Saute diced onions, garlic, carrots, and celery

• When onions are translucent, add broth

• Season broth with salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

• Add parmigiana rind and simmer

• Prepare meatballs-

  • Combine meat, breadcrumbs, egg, cream

  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

  • Roll into small balls, about the size of a large marble

• Cook pasta

• Add spinach to soup

• Add small meatballs directly to the soup and simmer

• When meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes, service over pasta