Many people may not know this about me but I am a first generation American on my mother's side. Like the rest of her family, my mother was born in Italy and moved to the US when she was about 3 years old. Even after her family immigrated to the US they very much kept their Italian culture alive. First living in the North End of Boston they kept chickens on their roof (only long enough for dinner) and made every meal from scratch with ingredients bought the same day. When they finally moved to the "country" (Malden, MA) they had enough space to grow a huge garden including peach trees and would can tomatoes and peaches with brandy. Food was such a huge part of our family's culture. Throughout my childhood we had Sunday dinners every week at my grandparents' house. "Dinner" would be served at 1pm and was always at least 2 courses. On Sundays it would usually start with soup and then of course a huge spread of pastas, homemade sauce and meats. Pig skin was actually one of my favorites- until that is, I became old enough to understand what I was eating!
We ate soup year round and I always thought that was weird, especially in the summer but did you know that eating hot foods when it is hot outside actually cools you down?! It's a scientific fact! Check out this little article: https://www.delish.com/food/a28539409/why-you-should-eat-hot-foods-on-hot-days/ Every time we'd visit my sister and I would run to the fridge to see what kind of left over soup would be waiting for us in a mason jar. My Nonno always loved to heat it up for us as a snack.
I've eaten a LOT of soup in my time and it's safe to say my favorite is Italian Wedding soup. This soup brings back so many memories of my childhood. I think it was my favorite because I loved the little ball shaped pastas and trying to balance the meatballs on my spoon. I have never been able to get mine to taste exactly like the way my Nonna and Auntie Eva used to make it but this is as close as I've come. There's a little time commitment in the beginning while you shape the little meatballs but I promise it's worth it! I actually always make a double batch of the meatballs and freeze one batch so that the next time I have a soup craving I'm already half way there! The other thing that is great about this recipe is that the soup comes together pretty quickly, although if I have the time I prefer to make my own chicken stalk and use that as my base. It really does give it so much more flavor. My Nonna always made the meatballs with pork (if I remember correctly by taste!) but you could use any ground meat of your choice and it would be delicious. My kids request this soup all year round, in the summer I love to serve it with crusty bread and arugula salad with olive oil, lemon juice and shaved parmesan.
First you have to get your meatballs assembled. Toss all of the meatball ingredients listed in a large bowl and work it with your hands to blend it together...
Then take little bits and roll between your palms to make bite size meatballs. (If making a double batch, lay them out in a single layer on a tray and freeze for 30 min then transfer to a zip lock bag to store.)
Next fill a tall pot with the broth and another 2 cups of water. Full sodium broth gives it a better flavor. You could also use chicken stock. Toss in your carrots if you decide to include them and bring to a boil. Once boiling carefully lower your meatballs into the broth and then let simmer for 20-30 minutes to cook meatballs through and soften up the carrotsAs the meatballs cook you will see them start to float up to the top of the soup.
Ladle it up in some soup bowls and as my Nonna would say- Mangia!!
You will Need
- 64 oz of chicken broth, better if it is not "low sodium"
-1 cup acini di pepe pasta*
-3 large handfuls of baby spinach or escarole
-3 to 4 rainbow carrots chopped into bite size pieces ( my nonna never did this but I like the added color)
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 egg
-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
-1 clove of garlic
-handful of parsley
-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- extra parmesan cheese for serving
*this is the ball shaped pasta that I love, if you can't find it you can substitute any small pasta
Total Prep and Cook Time- 35 min, Serves 4-6
Next fill a tall pot with the broth and another 2 cups of water. Full sodium broth gives it a better flavor. You could also use chicken stock. Toss in your carrots if you decide to include them and bring to a boil. Once boiling carefully lower your meatballs into the broth and then let simmer for 20-30 minutes to cook meatballs through and soften up the carrotsAs the meatballs cook you will see them start to float up to the top of the soup.
About 20 minutes into cooking add the acini di pepe and stir every few minutes so they won't stick together. Finally stir in your spinach at the very end of cooking just to let it melt into the soup.
