I’ve always imagined a wedding in an old Tuscan villa, nestled perfectly between green hillsides dotted with rows of grapevines and gardens. The bride, wearing the dress of her mother’s and her grandmother’s before her, dancing happily with her new husband and surrounded by their families. Cheering, laughing, drinking and eating. Eating Italian Wedding Soup—
Nope…
This soup has nothing to do with my dreamy wedding fantasy! I mean, it’s not even remotely romantic. Long ago, someone named this wedding soup to represent the marriage of meat and green vegetables. Sigh. You know how much I love food, but I was expecting so much more! Weren’t you?
I’ve made so many versions of this soup. My family loves them all, but after eating this one recently, my husband said this one was the best soup I’ve ever made! (I married a very smart man!) I’ve adapted the traditional wedding soup by using ground chicken breast to lighten things up. You could make this with ground meat or sausage. You can add some small pasta like Acini de Pepe or some more veggies like carrots and celery. But, this simple version…is really wonderful. Because it’s so simple, the broth is so important. There are some soups you can get away with using canned broth. Not this one. Homemade broth makes this soup really special.
- 1 egg
- ½ small onion, grated (about ⅓ cup grated)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup whole grain breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan, grated
- 1 – 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken breast
- 12 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 pound escarole, sliced
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon Parmesan
- black pepper
- 1 lemon, sliced in wedges
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan and parsley. Stir to combine. Add the ground chicken and stir again to mix well.
- Place a large pot over high heat and add the chicken broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil while you form the meatballs.
- Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoon, scoop the mixture and level it completely against the side of the bowl. Release the scoop in your hand and roll into a meatball. Place the meatballs on a large dish or a baking sheet. Continue until the mixture is done. You should have about 36 or so meatballs. (See Notes for a great tip!)
- Once the broth has come to a boil, gently drop the meatballs into the pot then add the escarole. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and allow the broth to return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg, Parmesan and black pepper. Stream the mixture into the soup while whisking the broth to create threads of egg. Continue simmering for one or two more minutes.
- Serve the soup in bowls with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a wedge of lemon.
I’m not terribly squeamish in the kitchen, but when working with ground poultry, I always use thin, food grade vinyl gloves for making chicken or turkey meatballs. The texture of ground poultry is vastly different than ground beef. It can be very sticky and hard to work with. The gloves completely solve that problem.
Don’t forget the lemon for serving! It makes all the difference!
We loved this soup. I have never made meatballs with chicken before and didn’t know what to expect, but I loved them. They are so great in this soup too with the parmesan and you are right, the lemon makes it all so good!
So nice to hear you enjoyed this, Marcy! This is a family favorite. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. :)
It sounds like a hearty and warming soup, just right for cold winter days.
Thanks so much Sylvie! We’ve been eating a lot of soup this winter!
Just wonderful! My kiddos are going to be so thrilled! They loooove Italian Wedding Soup, but I have to confess that I’ve never made it at home. Now I have absolutely no excuse! :D Pinning for sure! Hey – and wonderful tip about using gloves when working with ground poultry!
Thanks so my Shelley! My kids love this too…I think meatballs pretty much help sell it!
That is such a lovely bowl of soup, just what the weather calls for these days!
I’m so happy you think so Gintare! It’s been so cold here too…we’ve been eating lots of soup lately!
Oh Lord, Caroline…you’re killing me! I am a soup FANATIC and this looks so amazing that I want to race into my kitchen and make it ASAP! The first time I came across Italian Wedding Soup, it was a canned version (don’t ask – I had to see what it was) and let’s just say that it didn’t ring my {wedding} bells. But THIS! I am so going to make it this week! PS: thanks for spoiling the whole romantic imagery….lol! xo
Eugenia, you are the sweetest…and funniest! I know all about that can of soup! This is better…in all respects! Sorry to ruin the romance…isn’t it such a letdown? Hugs!
Only you can make simple soup look so lovely! Sounds delicious, too!
You are the sweetest ever Carrie! Thanks so much! :)