My kids love anything with meatballs in it (especially mini meatballs), so there’s always excitement at our house when Italian wedding soup is on the menu. The name “wedding soup” comes from the Italian language phrase minestra maritata – or married soup — which is a reference to the way the flavors combine, like a happy marriage. (No, it’s not served at Italian weddings.) The challenge with making a delicious wedding soup is that the broth is traditionally made from a rich, long-cooked homemade chicken stock. In a perfect world, we’d all make our own stock but who has time? To mimic the same flavor, I use a combination of high-quality store bought chicken broth and beef broth fortified with wine and lots of vegetables. For the meatballs, my secret is to add ground sausage to the beef mixture, which adds tons of flavor without the need for a lot of other seasonings. The only tedious part of the whole recipe is rolling the little meatballs (the recipe makes 50!) but I usually get one of the kids to help. (And by the way, if you’re looking for an easy weeknight meatball recipe, this is the one.)
Begin by making the meatballs.
In a large bowl, beat the egg with the chives, sage and garlic.
Add the ground beef, sausage, cheese, breadcrumbs, and salt.
Mash with your hands until evenly combined.
Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls (about 1-inch in diameter) and place on the prepared rack.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Set aside.
To make the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
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Add the chicken broth, beef broth, water, wine, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil until the pasta is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes (or according to package directions).
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Reduce the heat to low and add the spinach and meatballs.
Simmer for a few minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the meatballs are warmed through. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
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