What is Italian Wedding Soup?

Italian Wedding Soup is simply a marriage of great ingredients. Some people think that the origins of this soup relate to a dish served for weddings. Actually, minestra maritata (‘married soup’), is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination of the “marriage” of greens and meat.

If you talk to your neighborhood Italian Nonna you might get lucky and she might divulge some secrets in making this dish. (Don’t count on it!) As you will soon find out there are many versions of this soup. Some will use a different green. Some will use a different pasta. But you will find that there are some basic similarities. I use escarole for my greens. You can use spinach if you have it. Just add it to your soup at the last minute, because we all know that a lot of spinach will disappear if left in your pot to cook for too long. I also use Acini di Pepe for my pasta. These little pearls of pasta have a great mouthfeel when eating your soup. If you have ditalini or orzo, these alternatives will work too.

To be a little different I also added some Cannellini beans to make the soup a little more substantial. Is it traditional? No, not really. You won’t find this ingredient in most recipes for Italian Wedding Soup so its usage is optional. Remember, that your pasta will absorb more of your broth as your soup cooks and sits before you serve. The beans will also thicken up your soup, so if you want a thinner soup add more broth.

Use your favorite meatball recipe for your soup. Make them a little smaller than you normally would for a pasta dish or for your meatball sandwich. Plan on 5 or 6 small meatballs per bowl. Check here for my recipe for meatballs. My recipe produces a very tender and flavorful meatball.

You may want to have some bread for dipping if you are so inclined. How about some garlic knots or rosemary cheesy pull-apart bread. Check here for my recipe.

I hope you enjoy my version of Italian Wedding Soup. Leave your comments and let me know what you think and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Italian Wedding Soup – A Marriage of Great Ingredients!

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1 Cup 1 Escarole, chopped
1 Tbl 1 Olive oil
1 Tbl 1 Butter
2 2 Carrots, small dice
1 1 Onion, small dice
1 Cup 1 Acini di Pepe pasta
64 oz 64 Low-sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup 1/2 Pecorino-Romano cheese, grated plus some for garnish

Directions

Prepare your meatballs, using my recipe here!
Small chop your escarole/spinach and set aside.
Small dice your carrots and your onion. Add butter, olive oil to your soup/ceramic pot over medium-low heat. Add your carrots and onions. Stir occasionally. Cook until carrots have softened.
Add broth to your soup pot. Set heat to boil. Once you have your boil, add your pasta and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until the pasta has absorbed the broth and is tender.
Add cooked meatballs to the broth. Heat until meatballs are back up to heat (about 5 minutes) Add Pecorino-Romano cheese to the broth.
Add chopped escarole to the broth and cook for a few minutes until slightly wilted. If so inclined, you can add some Cannellini beans now (Optional).
Salt and pepper to taste. Don’t oversalt. Remember, your cheese will be a little salty.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top off with a little more grated cheese. Serve with your garlic knots or rosemary cheesy pull-apart bread! Enjoy!!