Simple Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs
This chicken meatball soup might be one of my favorite things to cook. It can be an easy weeknight meal, or a meal served to impress guests. It has minimal ingredients and a short cook time but tastes like it simmered on the stove for hours. Ben loves this soup (and most recipes that have meatballs). Every time I make it, he says, “This soup is restaurant quality!”. This soup became a regular recipe in our rotation during the colder months last year. You will have to get your hands a little dirty, but I promise it will be worth it.
What makes this soup is so simple
I’ve combined several different takes on wedding soup to come up with the most flavorful result in the shortest amount of time. This recipe has a simple ingredient list and doesn’t require a ton of prep time. I use Italian chicken sausage for the meatballs and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. These are already seasoned so they eliminate the need for a long list of seasonings. The pasta also cooks right in the soup, eliminating the need to boil it separately.
What makes this soup so delicious
Browning the meatballs first and then deglazing the pot with white wine helps to develop the flavor of the broth. The secret to the flavor in this delicious broth is the Parmesan rind. This is the end of the block of Parmesan and you can simply cut off a piece of it and throw it in the broth. Then use some of the remaining block of Parmesan to grate for a garnish. I don’t recommend leaving out these steps.
Simple Wedding Soup with Chicken Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 40 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
Simple Chicken Sausage Meatballs:
1 lb. Italian chicken sausage
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if needed)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, grated
1/4 tsp salt
Soup:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small-medium yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 block of Parmesan with rind (you will use at least a couple inches of rind in the broth)
1/2 cup white wine (the remaining wine will pair well with dinner)
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 & 3/4 cups dry small pasta (we like Orecchiette, but any small pasta will work. Use gluten-free if needed. Check the label to make sure it is egg-free if needed.)
3 big handfuls of fresh baby spinach
Garnish:
Parmesan, grated
Equipment
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Directions
1. Prep the ingredients. Chop 1 small-medium yellow onion and smash, then peel 6 garlic cloves for the soup broth, set aside. To smash a garlic clove, simply hold a knife on the flat side over the clove and give it a good smash. After you smash it, peeling will be a breeze. Peel and grate 1 garlic clove using a microplane, this one will go in the meatballs. Chop off at least a 2-inch piece of the Parmesan rind from the block of Parmesan.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add all of the above meatball ingredients: 1 lb. Italian chicken sausage (removed from casings if needed); 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if needed); 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 grated garlic clove; 1/4 tsp salt. Use your hands to combine. Using a medium sized cookie scoop, portion the meat and roll into about 1.5” meatballs with your hands. Set aside on a plate. Should make about 17 meatballs.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven or medium stock pot on medium heat. Add the meatballs one by one, making sure they don’t touch each other, and brown on the first side for about 3-4 minutes. Carefully turn each meatball using tongs (you can tell they are ready to flip when you can lift them easily and they don’t stick to the pot) and then brown on the other side for another 3-4 minutes. You want them to be a nice golden-brown color. It is not necessary to cook the meatballs all the way through at this stage, they will continue cooking in the broth. Carefully remove the meatballs from the pot and set aside on a plate.
4. Add the chopped onion and smashed garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes until tender. You can add a little more oil to the pot if needed.
5. Pour in 1/2 cup of white wine to degalze the pot and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Add 8 cups of chicken broth and the Parmesan rind then bring to a simmer.
7. Once the broth is simmering (bubbling gently), add the browned meatballs back to the pot and simmer for a few minutes stirring to make sure they don’t stick together.
8. Add the pasta and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until pasta and meatballs are cooked, stirring occasionally. When using Orecchiette, I like to sprinkle the pasta in by hand, so the “ears” don’t stick together.
9. Remove the Parmesan rind and discard. Add 3 big handfuls of spinach and stir until wilted, this won’t take long at all.
10. Serve with grated Parmesan.
Notes: Inspiration for this easy recipe came from many sources but this recipe helped me make it the most flavorful, Low-Commitment Wedding Soup from Bon Appetit
