Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; optional
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg; room temperature
- 1 slice of fresh bread, I use whole wheat, crust cut off, soaked in a little bit of milk until completely saturated
- 1 pound organic ground turkey, see note below
- freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 1/2 large onion, the other half that was used from the meatballs, finely chopped
- 1 large celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bunch kale, stem removed, washed, and chopped (spinach or escarole can be used instead)
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 4 cups chicken stock
- **you can use all chicken or all vegetable if you would like**
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, drained from the can
- Rind from a block of parmesan; see note below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add in the finely chopped onion with a sprinkle of salt; cook until softened, then add in the minced garlic clove and cook for about 30 seconds, set aside to cool
- Combine the cooled cooked onion, garlic, parsley, red pepper flakes, parmesan, salt, and egg, and soaked bread in a large bowl
- Mix together so that the egg is mixed well; the piece of bread breaks up; and everything is well incorporated
- Add in the turkey and ground black pepper and use a fork to mix until just combined; being careful not to over mix or the meatballs won’t be tender
- Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and use a small scoop or spoon to scoop out the meat mixture onto the prepared sheets
- Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes depending on their size (you should get about 30 meatballs give or take)
- Meanwhile prepare the soup:
- Heat the butter and oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat
- Once melted add the onion, carrot and celery
- Sprinkle with a little salt and allow to soften; about 8 minutes
- Add the garlic, thyme, oregano and cook for about 30 seconds; careful not to burn the garlic
- Add the chopped kale and allow to soften for a minute or two
- Add the vegetable stock, chicken stock, tomatoes, cheese rind (if using) and meatballs
- Bring to a slight boil then lower to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes (You can eat it right away, but it does taste better after it simmers a bit and the flavors come together)
- Add salt and pepper to taste
Notes
***Note on meat: You can really use any meat you like… pork, chicken, beef, turkey. You can even combine. I like pork and beef together.
***Note on using a cheese rind: When you buy a block of cheese it has a hard rind on the end that is usually thrown away. Instead, I like to freeze mine and then add them into sauces or soups. It gives the soup a depth of flavor you can’t really get from anything else. This is an Italian secret! If you don’t have one handy, then add more cheese at the end.