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ina garten’s italian wedding soup

Adapted from Ina Garten in Back to Basics

Meatballs, vegetables, greens and pasta simmered in a savory broth.

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

For the meatballs

  • 3/4 pound ground chicken
  • 2/3 pound chicken sausage, casing removed
  • 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese (1 ounce)
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus extra for serving (1 ounce plus extra)
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the soup

  • 2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
  • 1 cup minced yellow onion (1 medium / 5 ounces)
  • 1 cup 1/4 inch-diced carrots (3-4 carrots / 12 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup 1/4 inch-diced celery (2 stalks / 4 ounces)
  • 2 46-ounce cans chicken broth (or homemade stock)
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 cup small pasta (tubetini or stars)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
  • 12 ounces baby spinach, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, cheeses, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. Using a melon baller or small spoon, drop 3/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 84 meatballs.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

  3. While the meatballs are baking, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.

  4.  Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.