Italian Wedding Soup

Homemade recipe by Maria Theresa Post, a healthy Berks County citizen who hails from Italy!

The term “wedding soup” comes from the Italian language phrase “minestra maritata” (“married soup”), which is a reference to the flavor produced by the combination/”marriage” of greens and the meat

Ingredients

Soup:

• 12cups low sodium broth
• 1 pound of curly endive or escarole or spinach
• 10-12 cherry tomatoes
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of pastina (small pasta, any shape)

Meatballs:

Best shortcut are the tiny frozen meatballs from Russo’s Italian Market

From scratch:

• 1 small grated onion
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, and bread torn into small pieces
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• 8 oz ground beef
• 8 oz ground pork
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

If making your own meatballs:  Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

Bring broth to boil, then add the vegetables and the meatballs. Simmer 30 min if using frozen meatballs, 10min if using freshly made meatballs. In a separate pot, make 1 cup of pastina, cooking to al dente according to the instructions. Add to the broth after it is finished cooking, then add salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Serve piping hot with crusty garlic bread if desired.  Buon Appetito!!