The following is a guest blog post by my friend Leslie Williams–an amazing cook who is a very gracious host! I think you will enjoy her meatball soup recipe. I also believe that I will try this recipe in my electric pressure cooker during Christmas break while I have a houseful of kids home to feed! Thanks for sharing this recipe with it’s “BEEF-y tweaks,” Leslie!!
“No soup for you!”
The Soup Nazi, Seinfeld
The Soup Nazi, Seinfeld
I was scrolling through Facebook a couple of weeks ago and
came across this recipe for an easy and quick Italian Wedding Soup from Jenny
Rosenstrach in her blog, Dinner: A Love Story. I work from home so soup is a great
option to have on hand for a quick and filling lunch. Here is Jenny’s soup with my own tweaks and
tips. Enjoy!
came across this recipe for an easy and quick Italian Wedding Soup from Jenny
Rosenstrach in her blog, Dinner: A Love Story. I work from home so soup is a great
option to have on hand for a quick and filling lunch. Here is Jenny’s soup with my own tweaks and
tips. Enjoy!
I’m married to the BEEFMAN (@REAL_BEEFMAN) so it’s unlikely
I’ll ever make this with ground turkey but to each his/her own. I used mild Italian pork sausage the first
time I made it and it was delicious but a little salty so be sure to taste
before you add the salt in the “soup” portion of the ingredient list.
I’ll ever make this with ground turkey but to each his/her own. I used mild Italian pork sausage the first
time I made it and it was delicious but a little salty so be sure to taste
before you add the salt in the “soup” portion of the ingredient list.
Today, I made it with ground BEEF and used BEEF broth
instead of chicken broth.
- 1 pound ground beef,
pork or turkey - 3 tablespoons finely
minced onion - 1 garlic clove,
finely minced - 1/2 cup Italian bread
crumbs - 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
cheese - 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup chopped flat
leaf parsley - Few pinches fennel
seeds - 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- few glugs olive oil
I keep plain bread crumbs in my pantry so used those and
added 1 tsp. of Italian seasoning blend.
Whenever I make meatballs, I like to combine all the
ingredients except the ground meat first so they are all incorporated
evenly. Then I add the ground meat, combine
the mixtures and form the meatballs.
Because this is a quick cooking soup, you want to make the
meatballs about the size of a walnut so they cook through and are an easy
bite-size. Add olive oil to a large
skillet set over medium-high heat and brown meatballs on all sides. They do not
have to be cooked through. Remove to a large platter.
meatballs about the size of a walnut so they cook through and are an easy
bite-size. Add olive oil to a large
skillet set over medium-high heat and brown meatballs on all sides. They do not
have to be cooked through. Remove to a large platter.
- olive oil
- 1 carrot, finely
chopped - 1 small celery stalk,
finely chopped - 2 tablespoons finely
chopped onion - salt and pepper
(again, taste before adding this additional salt) - 8 cups beef or
chicken stock (original recipe calls for 4 cups but I like having extra broth) - four handfuls leafy
greens such as spinach, arugula or kale - 1 cup bite-size cooked
pasta such as ditalini or orzo (optional) - Extra grated parmesan for serving
In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, carrot,
celery, onion, and salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables have softened
slightly.
celery, onion, and salt and pepper, and cook until vegetables have softened
slightly.
Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add meatballs
to the broth.
Simmer for 30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through
(original recipe says 10-12 minutes but I prefer to cook longer).
(original recipe says 10-12 minutes but I prefer to cook longer).
Serve in bowls and stir in greens (uncooked, they’ll wilt in
the hot soup), cooked pasta, and more cheese if desired. You want to pre-cook
your pasta as adding uncooked pasta to the soup will cause the pasta to absorb
the cooking liquid.
the hot soup), cooked pasta, and more cheese if desired. You want to pre-cook
your pasta as adding uncooked pasta to the soup will cause the pasta to absorb
the cooking liquid.
This soup is good with some crusty bread and an icy cold
“white”…
“white”…
or
with a lovely “red” as we had today for lunch.
