Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
- 1 cup acini di pepe pasta
- 4 cups chopped escarole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Form and Brown the Meatballs
In a large bowl, gently combine all the ingredients for the meatballs—from the ground pork to the black pepper. Mix with your hands until just combined; overworking the mixture will result in tough meatballs.
Roll the mixture into small, 1-inch meatballs.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs to the pot in a single layer and brown them on all sides, which should take ~5-6 minutes per batch. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage. Transfer the browned meatballs to a plate.
Build the Soup Base
Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot, using the rendered fat from the meatballs. Cook, stirring occasionally, for ~6-8 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
Pour in the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any flavorful browned bits (the fond) stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring the broth to a boil.
Simmer and Serve
Add the acini di pepe pasta to the boiling broth and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Gently return the browned meatballs and any accumulated juices to the pot. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another ~8-10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are cooked through.
Stir in the chopped escarole and cook for another minute, just until it has wilted into the soup.
Taste the broth and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/4 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 8 cups 2 quarts chicken broth
- 1 cup acini di pepe pasta
- 4 cups chopped escarole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Gently mix all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl until just combined.
- Form the mixture into 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the meatballs in batches for 5-6 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot.
- Cook the vegetables in the rendered fat for 6-8 minutes until softened.
- Add the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Bring the broth to a boil and add the acini di pepe pasta.
- Cook the pasta for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Return the meatballs and any juices to the pot.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until pasta is al dente and meatballs are cooked through.
- Add the escarole and cook for 1 minute until wilted.
- Season the soup with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with grated Parmesan cheese on top.
