Italian Wedding Soup
Despite the name, this has nothing to do with weddings. It's just tiny meatballs in a rich broth with greens and pasta. The key to a great version is building flavor at every step: browning the meatballs, using a panade to keep them tender, and simmering the broth with a Parmesan rind.
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 2 slices sturdy white bread crusts removed
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind optional, but recommended
- 1 cup small pasta like acini di pepe or orzo
- 1 head escarole chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Method
- Soak bread pieces in milk for 5-10 min until pasty.
- Mix bread mixture with meats, egg, garlic, Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until just combined.
- Form into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown meatballs in batches 4-5 min; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium; cook onion, carrots, celery 5-7 min until soft.
- Add broth and Parmesan rind; bring to boil then simmer.
- Add pasta, cook 5 min.
- Return meatballs; simmer 8-10 min until pasta is al dente.
- Add escarole; cook 2-3 min until wilted.
- Remove from heat; discard rind.
- Stir in lemon juice; season to taste.
- Serve hot with extra Parmesan.
Notes
Do not overwork meatball mixture.
Meatballs don't need to be fully cooked during browning as they'll finish in the soup.