ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Italian Meatball Soup with Orzo

Serves 6, Ready in 45 Minutes

Italian wedding soup with orzo, served with fresh focaccia

Wedding soup, originally known as minestra mariata or “marrried soup” is all about the perfect union of the ingredients within it.

Once a humble dish of cheap cuts of meat and local greens, cooked in a chicken broth; this soup took on new form when Italian immigrants came to the US and recreated it as the version we know and love today.

Mini meatballs and hearty green vegetables cooked in a comforting chicken broth with a little pasta - It’s as delicious as it sounds!

I’ve used orzo for my version but other small pasta shapes like pastina work beautifully too.

Tavoli’s Italian wedding soup

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:

500g Beef mince

400g Italian sausages

2.5 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 egg

2.5 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 tbspn tomato puree

Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tspn dried oregnao

Salt & pepper

Drizzle of olive oil

For the broth:

125g unsmoked pancetta

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2l chicken stock

2 handfuls chopped kale

250g orzo

Salt & pepper (to taste)

To serve:

Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Finely grated parmesan cheese

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Italian wedding soup with orzo, served with freshly grated parmesan cheese

METHOD

1. Start by preparing the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2. When the mixture is ready, pull of small pieces and roll them into little meatballs.

3. Cook the meatballs in a large soup pot until they are browned on all sides, then remove them and set aside.

4. In the same pot, cook the pancetta until crisp. Then add your carrots, celery and onion and continue cooking until these are soft.

5. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

6. Then gently add the meatballs to the broth and simmer these for around 10 minutes until they are fully cooked.

7. Next, add your pasta and simmer for another 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked. Add your kale in the last couple of minutes of cooking.

8. To serve, sprinkle over freshly chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese.