Richard's Italian Wedding Soup

There are times when we're lucky enough to find ourselves in the right place at the right time. This past weekend we were all treated to our friend Richard's Italian Wedding Soup, and lucky is what we were, because it was delicious. Curious name for a soup though. 


There are many variations of Italian Wedding Soup but the main elements are meatballs, greens, broth and pasta. While the name indicates that the soup may be served at an Italian wedding, it is actually a mistranslation of minestra mariata, which refers to the fact that the flavours of green vegetables and meat go together, or 'marry', well. And here I thought there must be some deep symbolism in the name. But no, sometimes a meatball is just a meatball.


Generous of spirit, Richard was quick to point out that this recipe is from his favourite maven of the kitchen, Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. So I thank Richard for making such a memorable soup, and Ina, for being his muse. And to our hosts for bringing us all together to celebrate another kind of marriage — good food and good friends. 

Richard's Italian Wedding Soup 
(adapted from Ina Garten's 'Back to Basics' cookbook)


For the meatballs:
3/4 lb ground chicken
1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
2 tsp garlic (2 cloves), minced
3 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, fresh grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
3 tbsp milk
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp pepper


For the soup:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, minced
1 cup carrots, diced and cut into 1/4" pieces
3/4 cup celery, diced and cut into 1/4" pieces
10 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup tubettini pasta
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
12 oz. baby spinach, washed and trimmed


Preheat the oven to 350°. For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1" meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. You should have about 40 meatballs, and they don't have to be perfectly round. Bake for 30 minutes until they are cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.


In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Ad the pasta to the simmering broth and cook 6-8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated parmesan, if you wish.


Serves 6-8