I have made Italian Wedding Soup many different ways. Tonight I wanted to use beef meatballs instead of chicken and pancetta meatballs.Always good to switch things up!
Anyway- they turned out perfect. The cheesy beef was such a compliment to this soup and I will definitely make this variation again. Two thumbs up!
Italian wedding soup
--------------INGREDIENTS----------------
Meatballs:
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 C Fresh Sourdough Bread Crumbs
½ C Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
½ Tbsp Chopped Fresh Basil
½ Tbsp Oregano
1 Egg
Pinch of Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons Milk
For the Soup:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, minced
3 Carrots, Chopped
1 Bay Leaf
½ Cup Dry White Wine (Chardonnay)
8 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Cup Pastina (Stars)
(Optional) Grated Parmesan Cheese
--------------PREPARATION----------------
Meatballs:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, cheese, herbs, egg, nutmeg, salt & pepper, and milk in a large bowl.
Roll the meat into approximately 1-inch balls, and drop them onto a baking sheet. You should end up with approximately 30 meatballs. top each meatball with some freshly grated Parmesan.
Bake the meatballs for 30 minutes, turning once, so that the meat is cooked through and all sides are browned.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Soup:
While the meatballs bake, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup/stock pot.
Add the onion and carrots, to the oil and saute for approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the bay leaf.
Pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce for 2-4 minutes.
Pour the chicken stock into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the pastina to the boiling stock and cook for 6-8 minutes, or according to package directions.
Place the meatballs and spinach in the soup, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the meat is warmed through and the spinach is wilted.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
