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Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs

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Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs
  • Prep 30 min
  • Total 60 min
  • Servings 6
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A delicious and hearty soup for a cool fall evening. Goes great with garlic bread and a big green salad. This recipe serves a crowd.
by: Good Life Eats
Updated Mar 21, 2017

Ingredients

Chicken Meatballs

  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1/2 cup Progresso™ Parmesan bread crumbs or Progresso™ Italian Style or Garlic Herb Bread Crumbs
  • 2 medium eggs, beaten
  • 1/3 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried), chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt

Soup

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup carrots chopped (about 3-4 whole carrots)
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or a combination
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 celery stalks chopped
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen™ Organic Diced Tomatoes Basil and Garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Progresso™ balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried), chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasonings
  • 8 oz orzo or other small pasta (such as Ditalini)
  • 6 oz Cascadian Farm™ Frozen Organic Cut Spinach

Steps

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
  • 2
    Combine breadcrumbs, eggs, Parmesan, parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper with the ground chicken. Mix well. Form into small balls, about 2 teaspoons of mixture per meatball. Roll into balls and place on the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining mixture.
  • 3
    Bake meatballs at 350°F until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. To test doneness, cut one meatball in half. If no pink remains, the meatballs are done.
  • 4
    In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and sauté for 2 more minutes.
  • 5
    Add the broth, water, and tomatoes to the stock pot. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, parsley and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil (medium-low heat) and cook for 5 minutes.
  • 6
    Add the pasta to the stock pot and cook until pasta is tender, according to the package recommendations. When pasta is tender, stir in the spinach and meatballs. Cook until the spinach is heated through and slightly wilted. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • With the arrival of Fall comes the start of soup season. Soups are my favorite winter meal to prepare for dinner. They're what comfort food is to me and so nice to sit down to after a long, cold day. More often than not, many soup recipes are a one pot meal. I think everyone always loves a recipe that generates fewer dirty dishes! Not only are they frequently a one pot meal, they're also a one dish dinner because soups are so often a complete meal. And this recipe for Italian Wedding Soup certainly is. It's full of vegetables, starch, and protein. You don't really to make anything else to go with this recipe unless, of course, you want to. Traditionally Italian Wedding Soup is green vegetables and meat (meatballs or sausage) in a clear, chicken broth. Sometimes the recipe also includes pasta. Italian Wedding Soup is a flexible recipe. If you'd like, switch up the greens. This recipe uses spinach, but kale or escarole also works well. I've made chicken meatballs to go with this recipe, but you can substitute ground turkey, ground beef, or a mix in the meatball recipe. I've chosen to add carrots, celery and diced tomatoes to add more vegetables and truly make this recipe a one dish dinner. A little tidbit of knowledge that I just learned about: "wedding soup" is actually a mistranslation of the soup's name. Minestra maritata is actually translated to mean "married soup," referencing the compatibility of the green vegetables and the meat. What you call this recipe doesn't matter. It's just as tasty on a fall night.
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