An American's Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

This recipe is an American’s version of Italian Wedding Soup. The reason we call it “wedding soup” is because of the Italian phrase minestra maritata, meaning “married soup”. They say the flavors produce a marriage with the delicious blend of broth, meat and vegetables. A few ingredients that I give most attention to are the meatballs, orzo and cheese. Don’t get me wrong., all of the ingredients are important but these are some of the key flavors. Adding freshly grated parmesan is the final touch if you’re a cheese person! Cooking the orzo can be up to your own preference. Some prefer orzo more tough versus tender. I prefer using an extra virgin olive oil for all of my recipes, the flavor says it all. This soup makes a great weekday meal when you need comfort food or just a tasty dish. If Italian cooking is up your alley, then you’ve gotta try this other recipe.

Extras that I sometimes add are navy beans, bok choy or collard greens to give it a Southerner’s twist. You can also make this a vegetarian soup and use chick peas as a meat substitution. For the meatball lovers: get Italian meatballs that have parmesan cheese in them. This makes a huge difference in the flavor of the meat. If I’ve ever been underwhelmed by this recipe, it’s because they were regular Italian meatballs. A tip I always give when cooking is: always use a wooden spatula. Like a cast iron pan, it flavors the food amazingly! I added some kitchen tools at the bottom from Williams Sonoma to complete the experience.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

olive oil

2 whole carrots

3 celery stalks

half onion

1 lb Spinach

2-3 garlic cloves

Mrs. Dash Original seasoning

1.5 lbs of Italian meatballs

1 cup orzo

32 oz vegetable broth

32 oz beef broth

Steps

1. Heat olive oil in a pan, just enough to coat the bottom. I recommend using a cast iron skillet
2. Cook meatballs thoroughly, on all sides. Remove from pan.
3. Chop onion and garlic cloves and add to the pan. Saute until soft.
4. Repeat previous steps with carrots and celery. Add broths, meatballs and sautéed vegetables to a sauce pan.
5. Add orzo and let simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add spinach to the top and mix in. Serve when spinach is softened.

Striped Towels / White Bowls / Silver Soup Spoons / Pantry Napkins / White Soup Spoons / Nakiri Knife / Clear Bowls / Wide Wooden Spoon / Narrow Wooden Spoon / Pot and Ladle / Coupe Bowls / Cutting Board / Sauce Pot / Cutting Board With Well / Utility Knife

The thought of a good soup is usually accompanied by cold weather and sweaters. Not in this case. Believe it or not, this recipe is amazing year round. It’s perfect even on those summer nights since it has a light broth. Also, this soup can be frozen and reheated on those nights that you’re not up to cooking. The flavors will only get better! Last tip, if you have a pan with tall enough sides, you can make this a one-pot soup.

As always, I love hearing the additions that y’all make to personalize the recipe, since I usually make my own adjustments. Tell me what you did this time in the comments.