I missed a few Sundays of souping when I was in Italy so now I'm catching up. This recipe is a winner! I've had this soup in restaurants and from cans but had never made it myself. Easy and absolutely delicious! I made the meatballs with ground turkey breast and they are so wonderfully spicy with allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon in them; they would be a fine appetizer by themselves.
I'm getting together with a bunch of cousins in early January for a late Christmas party; it's gonna be a potluck with an Italian theme so I'm going to make this soup again for that. It will blow everyone away. Thanks to Terry (teaberry) for this great recipe! (recipe printed below).
A list of the other Slow Soupers is here.
I hope that everyone's holidays are going well. I was wrapping presents yesterday and look what I found inside one of my shopping bags!
Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs:
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs (I used panko)
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound ground turkey (or ground meat of choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
spices: 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together, and roll into 1″ balls. Saute in the olive oil until lightly browned on the outside. (Or you can bake the meatballs in the oven for approx. 20 minutes at 375 degrees). Set aside.
Soup ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves minced garlic
3 diced strips of turkey bacon (or regular bacon)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 quarts of chicken stock
1 cup orzo
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 fresh leaves of basil, chopped
3 cups of arugula
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano for garnish
Saute the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in large soup pot for 5 - 6 minutes. Add the turkey bacon and the balsamic vinegar, and let all the flavors mix and blend.
Add the Marsala and let this cook down a little. When it is almost evaporated, add the chicken stock, orzo, meatballs, and oregano. Simmer this for about 15 minutes, til the orzo is soft.
Add the basil and arugula and cook for about 1 more minute. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmigiano for garnish.
Comments (11)
Yay! A recipe for Italian Wedding Soup! I've never made it, but really want to try this recipe.
Adorable photo of Maria!! Polly likes bags too (and wrapping paper...and chewing on the tree...)
Posted by Anne | December 22, 2008 11:45 AM
Posted on December 22, 2008 11:45
Anne, it's really delicious - I think you'll love it!
Yes, Maria loves wrapping paper too. I finally gave her a piece of her own on the floor so she wouldn't "help" me wrap on the table. And I didn't put a tree up this year and used "the kitten" as my excuse (really, I just didn't feel like dealing with it). We are spending Xmas at my brother's house so he did the tree this year.
Posted by Annie | December 22, 2008 12:02 PM
Posted on December 22, 2008 12:02
Annie-I'm glad you got to make the soup. This is my favorite we've done so far, and I will definately be making it again. Your cat is adorable!
Posted by Cindy Ruth | December 22, 2008 12:36 PM
Posted on December 22, 2008 12:36
Cindy Ruth, thanks! She's a handful but so much fun. I hope you're having a great time with your new puppy!
Posted by Annie | December 22, 2008 12:40 PM
Posted on December 22, 2008 12:40
Annie, the recipe looks great, as does Maria! She must be very happy to have you home again.
Posted by sandrac | December 22, 2008 12:56 PM
Posted on December 22, 2008 12:56
Thanks Sandra. I think they are both pretty happy to have order restored to their little cat universe. I really did miss them!
Posted by Annie | December 22, 2008 1:51 PM
Posted on December 22, 2008 13:51
Hi Annie, your soup looks very delicious! Maybe with a little practice I can work my way up to trying to make a nice soup dish.
I love that photo of Maria. She ahd Lulu are soooo adorable! Have an awesome holidays Annie!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | December 23, 2008 8:33 AM
Posted on December 23, 2008 08:33
Hi Kathy, it's really pretty easy so I bet you wouldn't have any trouble at all. It takes a little bit of time to roll the meatballs but it's not hard. And the recipe is perfect for people who don't eat red meat (if you use ground turkey and turkey bacon, like I did).
Hope you are having a wonderful holiday! I'm finally off work (woo hoo)!
Posted by Annie | December 23, 2008 8:55 AM
Posted on December 23, 2008 08:55
Lucky you to be off! Whoo hoo . . . The recipe does look very easy so maybe I will give it a whirl. I don't eat beef or pork but I do eat chicken/turkey so I'm always excited when I see simple recipes with them or seafood (my other favorite). Enjoy your Holidays and time off from work!
Posted by Kathy (Trekcapri) | December 23, 2008 2:22 PM
Posted on December 23, 2008 14:22
Thanks Kathy. I hope you have a great holiday too!
Posted by Annie | December 23, 2008 2:39 PM
Posted on December 23, 2008 14:39
Hi Annie,
Maria is adorable. She must be so thrilled to be home with you again! Her first Christmas. What fun!!
The soup looks yummy. Funny, I have not heard of Italian Wedding Soup before this week's Slow Soupers and then I saw a bunch of cans of it in Whole Foods on Monday.
Posted by girasoli | December 24, 2008 1:26 AM
Posted on December 24, 2008 01:26