Italian Wedding Soup

Teenager wanders through the kitchen grazing for cookies and skids to a halt…

“Oh! Are you making that wedding soup again? Awesome!”

Yes, here at Crowded Earth Kitchen, Italian Wedding Soup falls squarely into the “Awesome!” category. Half-Pint likes any soup made with chicken broth (“yellow soup”), and Pickle-in-the-Middle loves the little meatballs. What’s not to love about little meatballs?

Traditionally, Italian Wedding Soup also contains orzo. Feel free to add a cup or so if you like. I’m sharing this soup with a loved one who is watching their carb intake, so I left the orzo out. The soup is still delicious!

Ingredients (Serves 6 – 8)

2 pounds lean ground beef (I used 85% lean)

1 tablespoon dried, crushed oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon butter

8 cups good quality chicken stock

4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 ribs of celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Step 1) Combine ground beef, oregano, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Mix well.

Step 2) Roll ground beef mixture into SMALL meatballs. These meatballs are bite-size soup morsels, and should be only 1 inch in diameter before they are baked!

Step 3) Bake meatballs on baking sheets with shallow sides in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Transfer cooked meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Step 4) While meatballs are baking, saute onion and butter in a large pot. When onions are soft, add chicken stock, carrots, and celery. Bring just barely to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.

Step 5) When carrots are tender (should only take a few minutes), add meatballs and chopped fresh parsley. Heat through. Enjoy!