Italian American Wedding Soup

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:1 pound (475 g) ground meat for meatballs (see notes)

6 medium cloves garlic, finely minced

2 large eggs

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (3 ounces; 85 g)

1/2 cup finely minced flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 ounce; 28 g)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons (8 g) kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or the same weight

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium carrots (8 ounces; 225 g total), diced

2 large celery ribs (5 ounces; 140 g), diced

4 medium cloves garlic, smashed

8 cups (2 L) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound (454 g) leafy greens, such as mature spinach, Swiss chard, and/or escarole, washed very well of all sand and grit and cut into 1-inch strips

Kosher salt

1 pound (454 g) small dried pasta, such as ditalini or shells

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Directions

For the Meatballs: In a large bowl, use a clean hand to thoroughly mix together the ground meat with the galic, eggs, breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, oregano, salt, and a generous grinding of black pepper until meat develops a slightly sticky texture. Set aside.

For the Soup: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened but not browned, about 6 minutes.

Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add leafy greens and cook until wilted and tender. (This will depend on what kind of leafy green you use; spinach will cook very fast, chard and escarole will take longer.)

Working quickly with clean hands, roll meatball mixture into 1-inch balls and drop into simmering soup. Cook until meatballs are all cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, add about 1/2 cup cooked pasta to each serving bowl, then ladle soup, meatballs, and vegetables on top. Top with grated cheese and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 885 kcal
• Total Fat: 43 g
• Saturated Fat: 14 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 1010 mg
• Sodium: 1168 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 61 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 5 g
• Protein: 61 g