Italian Wedding Soup

This morning, I was at Whole Foods and noticed they had wedding soup on their hot bar. Feeling inspired, I decided to make it at home instead. In hindsight, I ended up spending around $70 on groceries, compared to the $8.49 it would have cost to buy it pre-made. I’m not sure if that was the best decision, but here we are. This soup is really simple and definitely one of my top three go-to soups when I’m feeling under the weather. It’s rich in protein, very filling, and warm—just the perfect soup for days like these.

Ingredients 

For the meatballs:

• 1 lbs ground chicken 
• 1 lbs mild Italian pork sausage 
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper – about a pinch 
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 
• 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil for searing 

For the soup:

• 64 oz chicken broth 
• 5 medium carrots, diced
• 4 stalk of celery, diced
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme 
• 1 half of white onion, diced 
• 1 tsp dry Italian seasoning 
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1/2 cup acini de pepe 
• parmesan cheese wedge 
• 1 bag spinach, chopped 
• parsley for garnish 
• salt & pepper to taste

Process 

Prepare the meatballs:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, mild Italian sausage, all-purpose flour, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.
2. Shape the mixture into small meatballs and set aside. 
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil.
4. Add the meatballs to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Prepare the soup:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the diced onion, diced carrot and diced celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, sauté until fragrant.
3. Pour in the chicken broth into the pot. Bring to a simmer, add fresh thyme and Italian seasoning.
4. Add the seared meatballs to the pot.
5. Once the broth is simmering, add the acini de pepe to the pot. Cook according to the package instructions or until the pasta is al dente (about 9 minutes).
6. Once the pasta is cooked, Stir in the chopped spinach and let it wilt in the soup, about 2-3 minutes.
7. Grated about 3-5 tbsp of parmesan cheese in to the pot. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
8. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Note: You can customize this recipe by adding other vegetables such as diced tomatoes or white beans for extra flavor and nutrition. Additionally, feel free to adjust the seasoning and herbs to suit your taste preferences.