Italian Wedding Soup

Homemade Italian Wedding Soup is my favorite soup in the whole world!

I always find it healthy, filling and just plain good!   After I had homemade soup at a local little restaurant (I consider made from scratch soup from small restaurants to be home-made), I couldn't stand the canned stuff.  I was on the hunt for a homemade Italian Wedding Soup that would be relatively easy to make and delicious.   A few years ago I found it.   I made it a few weeks ago and this time was smart enough to take some pictures for you!

It looks good, it tastes good and it's good for you!  Definitely, one of those soups that really is a meal.

Just an FYI, way down this post is a recipe printable.   Just follow along with this post the first time so you see each step.

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

1 small (or ½ large) onion, finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
1 large egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
8 oz lean ground beef
8 oz ground pork

For the Soup:

10 cups chicken broth

½ lb escarole chopped into bite size pieces

Directions:

1. Prepare all the meatball ingredients. Finely chop onions, fresh parsley, and mince garlic.

Add all meatball ingredients into the bowl and mix well.

Once all ingredients are mixed, figure out a way to make consistently sized meatballs.   I have a ¾ inch cookie scoop and that's what I use.   I scoop the meatball mixture into rough balls with it.

Then I roll them into nicer balls.

In a large pot, bring 10 cups of chicken broth to a boil.

I like this kind of broth if I don't have any homemade broth on hand.

And, I don't use the low sodium kind.  I just usually omit any additional salt that a recipe may call for.

Once the broth is at a gentle boil, add the meatballs.   Cook for approx. 10 minutes.

Chop the escarole into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch x 1 inch-ish).   You know, I had the hardest time finding escarole in the grocery store.   For some reason, I couldn't find it the first time I tried to buy it.   It would have saved me a lot of time if someone would have only told me that escarole is a LETTUCE!!   Yes, it's lettuce.   But, don't substitute another type of lettuce 'cause it won't have the same texture.  TRUST me on that one!!

Add escarole to broth and meatballs.   Simmer approximately another 10 minutes.  You can check  'doneness' by making sure the thicker pieces of escarole are tender.

Serve with french bread as a hearty and satisfying meal.

I hope you like this soup as much as I do!   If you double the recipe, you will have lots to freeze. I promise!!

If you love (or even just like) soups, here are some links to some other soups I have blogged about:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

And, a really easy one. It uses a mix/kit from the grocery store.  Matzo Ball Soup. Honestly, though, it still feels and tastes homemade!

One more.  When we want to go lower carb., my husband and I really like chicken soup with chickpeas (no noodles!).

It's definitely soup weather here in Wisconsin! Hope you enjoy these soups.   What is your favorite type of soup?