Homemade Italian Wedding Soup
50 min - 1 hour
For the Meatballs:
1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
1 egg
1/2 cup of grated romano
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-3 T olive oil for sautéing
(25-30 minutes)
For the Soup:
1 med onion
5 cloves of garlic
2 T oil for sautéing (I use a neutral oil, like grapeseed)
8-10 cups of stock
1 head of escarole
3/4 cup of orzo
1 tsp of red pepper flakes
juice from half a lemon
romano for garnish
(25-30 minutes)
Meatballs:
- To make the meatballs, place all ingredients (ground meat, egg, romano, bread crumbs, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper) into a bowl and mix together. Roll into whatever size meatball you would like - I rolled mine to be about 1/2-3/4 inches in diameter.
- Heat a skillet over med-high heat with the olive oil. Saute the meatballs in batches until they are browned on all sides - about 10 minutes. If they are on the smaller side, they most likely will be cooked through, but it's alright if they are a little pink in the middle, they will cook more while you are making the soup.
- Place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil and put off to the side.
Soup:
- In a 6 quart soup pot or dutch oven, heat the neutral oil over med-high heat, add the garlic and onions and saute until soft (not browned) - 6-8 minutes.
- Add the stock and bring to a boil.
- Add the escarole, reduce to the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, covered.
- Add the orzo and bring the heat back up to a slow boil. Cook the orzo for about 3 minutes, then add the meatballs and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.
- Reduce the heat back to low, add the red pepper flakes and lemon juice and simmer for a few more minutes.
- Serve hot with additional romano for garnish if desired!
Happy Eating!
xo. cheers. namaste.
MK
