Appetizers/ Main Course/ Pork/ Side Dish/ Soups & Stews

Italian Wedding Soup

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One of the little stories I love to tell people about Italian Wedding Soup is that it has nothing to do with weddings…at all.  In fact, the Italian words for this soup–minestra maritata–has been a disastrous faux-amis for we Americans who speak the kind of Italian you’ll find only at the supermarket: “spaghetti!” “penne!” “ricotta!” “Prosciutto!” “Ciao!!”Really, the phrase for Italian Wedding Soup–minestra, meaning “soup,” and maritata, meaning “married”–translates to “soup married” or “married soup.”  Native speakers of the language understand that this phraseology (if you will) simply means that the ingredients “marry well together.”  Not, that you should be married while eating this soup, a common mistake made by many food bloggers and romantics alike–which, can you really blame them? The Italians do love so very well.
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Phew.  Glad we cleared that up.

Italian Wedding Soup, a close cousin to the Spanish Albondigas Soup where meatballs are cooked with rice within them, packs serious flavor given very little ingredients.  Since it falls into the larger tradition of Italian cookery, you can embrace the sweet basil from a leftover pesto recipe, the carrots that never seem to get eaten, and any small pasta you might have in the pantry.  Yet, just like with any soup, you can adjust the ingredients accordingly to what’s seasonal, affordable, and available in your kitchen, see my cook’s notes for how.

But you know what else “marries” or goes well–sposa bene–with this soup? A sore throat, a rainy day, a hungry stomach, or just an occasion to show someone you care.  What’s more tender than a bowl of soup for your loved one? Especially if they make the common mistake that Italian Wedding Soup has something to do with marriage.

Italian Wedding Soup

Like most soups, there’s an ease of versatility in preparing this dish: chicken broth or stock may be substituted with vegetable or beef, spinach may be substituted with kale or other dark winter greens, and the pasta, oh the tiny pasta, well, that can be just about any small pasta found in your grocery aisle

Ingredients:

–Meatballs–

*1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

*1 egg

*1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

*1 teaspoon kosher salt

*1 teaspoon pepper

*1 slice good quality wheat bread, torn into tiny pieces

*1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped

*16-18 oz. good-quality sausage meat (here, I used Venison Sausage with Merlot and Blueberries and Elk Sausage with Port and Pear from Marx Foods)

*1 tablespoon olive oil

–Soup–

*8-10 cups chicken broth

*6 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained of excess juices

*1 onion, chopped fine

*1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

*2 tablespoons basil, finely chopped

*8 oz. very small pasta (such as pastini, acini di pepe,  but can use Orzo or shell pasta)

*3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

*2 carrots, chopped into medium-sliced circular rounds

*1 tablespoon pepper

*1 teaspoon salt

*Parmesan, for dressing soup

1.) Prepare meatballs: in a food processor, add parsley, egg, garlic, salt, pepper, bread pieces, basil, and sausage.  Process until just combined (mixture should resemble ground sausage you might buy at the store).  Shape sausage mixture into meatballs based on size preference–I prefer smaller-sized meatballs that might fit easily into a large soup spoon, but any size works here.  If preparing a smaller sized meatball, expect 30-34 meatballs.

2.) In a large stock pot or dutch oven that you will use for the soup, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil along the bottom and warm over medium-high heat.  Arrange meatballs and fry until brown on all sides and cooked all the way through (about 5-7 minutes).  Make sure not to crowd the pan and cook meatballs in several batches.  Transfer cooked meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels.

3.) Prepare soup: in the same pot, add onions and carrots and cook down until tender in the rendered juices from the meatballs (about 6 minutes).  Add garlic, stir until fragrant (30 seconds), and pour in the 8-10 cups broth.  Mix in parsley, basil, and salt and pepper.  Cover and bring soup to a boil.  Once boiling, add 8 ounces pasta (about half a box of pasta), meatballs, and cover.  Return to a boil and allow pasta to cook for 5-10 minutes.  Remove soup from heat, serve with sprinkled Parmesan, and enjoy! Makes 8 servings.
Minestra Maritata

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Italian Wedding Soup, 4.0 out of 5 based on 3 ratings
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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Easy Italian Recipes
    March 7, 2014 at 10:06 am

    Hi! Your Italian wedding soup has been nominated as one of the “Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipes on the Net”. To vote for it, please visit http://easyitalianrecipes.org/soup-recipes/best-italian-wedding-soup-recipes-on-the-net-vote-for-your-favorite/ (your recipe is positioned at #222).

  • Reply
    Caryn Mellecker
    January 22, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    Even though I’m in Georgia today it’s really cold…I’m hungry and this soup looks worth going out to the store to get all the ingredients I need to make it!

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