Italian Wedding Soup

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 40 min
  • Active: 20 min
Named not for the marriage ceremony, wedding soup gets its name from the Italian "minestra maritata" – married soup – for how well the ingredients go together. Traditional versions, of which there are many, are typically heartier and meatier than most American styles. We lightened up our recipe with groud turkey for the meatballs instead of the usual beef or pork.
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Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup pesto

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 head escarole (about 1 pound), tough outer leaves removed, roughly chopped

4 ounces ditalini pasta (about 3/4 cup)

Chopped fresh parsley, for topping

Directions

  1. Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Combine the ground turkey, ricotta, pesto, parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined. Form into 24 small meatballs (about 1 tablespoon each); transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Broil until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, 2 cups water, the escarole and ditalini. Cover and bring to a boil, then partially uncover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the meatballs and simmer, uncovered, until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle each serving with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.

Let's Get Cooking!

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TINA R.

Simple and delicious. I used Kale. No added salt is needed.

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