The term "wedding soup" comes from the Italian language phrase "minestra maritata" ("married soup"), which is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination/"marriage" of greens and the meat.
This soup has grown extremely popular outside of Italy, but you might be surprised to learn that, while it often appears as part of a traditional Italian Easter, Christmas or San Silvestro (December 26) feast. It has nothing to do with Italian weddings and never has.
For a warm bowl of Italian comfort, try this Italian Wedding Soup recipe. Filled with homemade meatballs, fresh veggies and tiny bits of pasta (optional).
Total comfort food any day of the year!
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper
Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
To make the meatballs:
Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend.
Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs.
Place on a baking sheet.To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes.
Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend.
Stir the soup in a circular motion.
Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute.
Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Finish soup with Parmesan cheese if desired.