Italian Wedding Soup

I love the canned Italian wedding soup you can find at any grocery store. The mini-meatballs, bits of pasta and flavorful blend of herbs are an awesome combination. So when I saw Giada making this soup, I knew I had to try it. I figured if the soup won me over coming out of a can, it would have to be amazing when made with my own two hands.

Unfortunately, I made a few changes to this recipe that I think kept it from being as glorious as I had hoped. The soups flavorings were all delicious, the real problem was with the meatballs. They weren't flavorful and were very tough even though I was careful not to overmix them. Obvioulsy I wasn't careful enough! I also made the mistake of just using ground beef because that was all our grocery store had (yes, I pretty much hate the grocery stores in my area. Whole Foods - why must you neglect us UESiders and position your stores in every other area of the island??). So the meatballs ended up tasting like balled up hamburgers. Less than stellar. This is what I get for messing with Giada!

I will try this one again and actually follow recipe to a "t," because the base of the soup was delicious and very flavorful. It was also really pretty with the green pieces of escarole and little strands of egg and parmesan. In the meantime, if anyone has any meatball tips I would love to hear them!!

Italian Wedding Soup

Slightly Adapted from Everyday Italian - Giada De Laurentiis

Meatballs:

1 small onion, grated

1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 large egg

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1 slice white bread, crust trimmed and torn into small pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

8-ounces ground beef

8-ounces ground pork

pepper

Soup:

12 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound escarole

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

salt and pepper

cooked macaroni noodles (optional)

• Meatballs: In a bowl, stir to combine the onion, parsley, egg, garlic, salt and bread.
• Stir in the cheese, beef and pork.
• Shape the mixture into 1-inch diameter meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
• Soup: Heat broth in a large pot over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
• Add meatballs and escarole and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked and escarole is tender.
• Whisk together the eggs and cheese and gradually stir into broth using a fork to create thin strands for about 1 minute.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add in noodles and top with Parmesan, if desired.