Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Prep Time:
25 minutes

Cook Time:
1 hour

Servings:
6 servings

Prep Time:
25 minutes

Cook Time:
1 hour

Servings:
6 servings

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Italian Wedding Soup

¹/₂ head escarole, cleaned, washed and stem ends removed
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) Crisco^® Pure Vegetable Oil
1 ¹/₂ large carrots, chopped
12 C. (3000 mL) chicken broth
1 C. (250 mL) uncooked ditalini or other small tube pasta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Meatballs
¹/₂ lb (227 g) ground beef or veal, or a combination of both
¹/₂ C. (125 mL) plain bread crumbs
¹/₂ C. (125 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¹/₂ C. (125 mL) grated onion
1 large egg
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
non-stick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

Separate escarole leaves and wash thoroughly to remove all grit. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1” (2.5 cm) strips.
Heat oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add carrots. Cook and stir until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add the escarole and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is almost tender, about 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 350°F (175 ºC). Spray a broiler pan with non-stick spray.
Combine ground meat, breadcrumbs, cheese, onion, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into tiny balls, less than 1-inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Place the meatballs on prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes or until meatballs are lightly browned.
Stir the pasta when the escarole is almost tender. Return soup to simmer. Add browned meatballs.
Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the meatballs and pasta are cooked, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.