Wedding Soup

The term “wedding soup” is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata (“married soup”), which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meat go well together.

I have had the best intentions of following a recipe I found on the Food Network Magazine.

Then the recipe started taking a path of its own, so I followed along until I came up with this delicious soup.

Wedding Soup.

My first mistake was trying to follow a recipe on my Nook.

I absolutely love my Nook! It’s my third favorite possession with my Mac and Nikon running in the top two.

However, following a recipe from a Nook is a bit of challenge as it goes to sleep every 3 minutes…

Then I would have to use my greasy, floury fingers to slide it back into life.

It was annoying so I let go…

The original recipe was only calling for 3 cups of chicken stock. Seriously? That would not make it in our house!

So I doubled it…

Well…maybe tripled it and added chicken…

And more carrots…

And Acini Di Pepe pasta instead of orzo (although orzo would work just fine!)…

What you get is a delicious, flavorful soup with tasty little meatballs!

Make sure you include the Parmesan rind in the broth – it adds much to the flavor.

So from my Nook…

Through my kitchen…

To you…

Wedding Soup
A Kitchen Muse: Adapted from the Food Network Magazine
Recipe type: Soup
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  
Serves: 8
A light soup full of flavor, veggies and meatballs!
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 5 carrots, finely chopped
  • ½ lb. chicken breast or tenders
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
  • 6-8 cups fat free chicken broth (depending on how ‘brothy’ you like your soup)
  • 1 Parmesan cheese rind
  • 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan plus more for topping
  • 1 lb. ground pork (ground turkey would work too)
  • 6 tbsp. panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup small dry pasta (I prefer Acini Di Pepe – orzo would work too)
  • Baby spinach leaves
Instructions
  1. Poach chicken in water until cooked.
  2. Remove from water and shred into small pieces. Set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
  4. Add onions, garlic and carrots, stirring until slightly soft (about 4 minutes).
  5. Add 2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce and 1 tsp. chopped sage.
  6. Cook 1 minute.
  7. Add the chicken broth, shredded chicken and Parmesan rind and bring to a boil.
  8. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until veggies are tender (about 7 minutes).
  9. Mix the pork, breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce and sage in a bowl.
  10. Form into 1 inch meatballs.
  11. Increase the heat on the soup to medium high and bring soup to a boil.
  12. Stir in the pasta and drop meatballs into the broth.
  13. Cook until meatballs until they float to the top (about 4 minutes).
  14. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with baby spinach leaves and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

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