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A heartwarming Italian-American classic featuring tiny, tender meatballs, leafy greens, and delicate pasta all simmered in a rich chicken broth. It's the perfect cozy meal for a chilly day, full of comforting flavors and textures.
For 4 servings
Prepare the Meatballs
Build the Soup Base (Soffritto)
Simmer the Soup and Cook Meatballs
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A heartwarming Italian-American classic featuring tiny, tender meatballs, leafy greens, and delicate pasta all simmered in a rich chicken broth. It's the perfect cozy meal for a chilly day, full of comforting flavors and textures.
This italian_american recipe takes 60 minutes to prepare and yields 4 servings. At 596.36 calories per serving with 37.42g of protein, it's a moderately challenging recipe perfect for lunch or dinner or supper.
Add Pasta and Greens
Serve and Garnish
For a lighter version, use ground chicken or turkey for the meatballs. You can also use all beef or all pork if you prefer.
Substitute escarole with other leafy greens like spinach, kale, or Swiss chard. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
Any small pasta shape works well. Try orzo, ditalini, or stelline (tiny stars).
To make a vegetarian version, use a plant-based ground meat substitute for the meatballs, a rich vegetable broth, and an egg replacer or extra breadcrumbs to bind the meatballs.
The combination of ground beef and pork provides a significant amount of high-quality protein, which is essential for muscle repair, immune function, and overall body maintenance.
Carrots, celery, and escarole contribute essential nutrients like Vitamin A for vision, Vitamin K for bone health, and various antioxidants that help protect the body from cellular damage.
The broth-based nature of the soup contributes to your daily fluid intake, helping to keep you hydrated.
As a warm, hearty soup, it provides comfort and satiety, making it a satisfying meal that can help regulate appetite and improve mood, especially in colder weather.
A typical 1.5 cup serving of this Italian Wedding Soup contains approximately 550-600 calories, depending on the fat content of the meat and the amount of cheese used.
It can be a well-balanced meal, providing protein from the meat, carbohydrates from the pasta, and vitamins from the vegetables. To make it healthier, use lean ground meats, low-sodium broth, and load it with extra greens.
The name is a mistranslation of the Italian phrase 'minestra maritata,' which means 'married soup.' This refers to the 'marriage' or delicious combination of flavors from the greens and the meat, not to weddings.
Yes, you can make the soup a day or two in advance. For best results, store the soup without the pasta. Cook the pasta separately and add it just before reheating and serving to prevent it from absorbing too much broth and becoming mushy.
Absolutely. This soup freezes very well. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers. It's best to freeze it without the pasta. It will last for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove, adding freshly cooked pasta.