Recipe
Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min
Serves: 12
This version of Italian wedding soup is rich and comforting, with silky broth, flavourful chicken meatballs, and leafy spinach.
Contributed By: Developed for CFC by Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
Ingredients
1 lb (0.5 kg)
lean ground chicken
4
qt low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups (500 mL)
acini de pepe
2 cups (500 mL)
orzo
2
slices whole wheat bread
1
egg(s), medium
2
cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL)
onion powder
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
black pepper, freshly ground
1/3 cup (75 mL)
parsley, fresh, minced
1/4 cup (60 mL)
Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp (30 mL)
Parmesan cheese, grated
6 cups (1.5 L)
baby spinach, washed
Instructions
1
Cook acini de pepe pasta in unsalted water until a dente. Drain and set aside. Do not overcook as the pasta should be firm when added to the soup.
2
Pour the chicken broth into a large soup pot, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer.
3
Tear bread into tiny pieces by hand. Make meatballs by mixing together torn bread, ground chicken, egg, minced garlic, onion powder, freshly-ground black pepper, minced parsley and Parmesan cheese. Form into half ounce (1 Tbsp/15 mL) meat balls. A one-quarter cup (60 mL) measure can be cut into four pieces and then formed into balls by hand. If you have the patience you can make your meatballs smaller (e.g., 1 ½ tsp size).
4
Gently place meatballs in simmering broth, cover and bring back to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through.
5
Stir in washed baby spinach and the cooked, drained acini de pepe pasta. Allow spinach to wilt and pasta to heat through but do not overcook.
6
To serve ladle the soup into bowls garnished with more Parmesan cheese.