Italian Wedding Soup (Minestra Maritata)
- Ready In:
- 1hr 30mins
- Ingredients:
- 19
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 1 roasting chicken, cut into parts (about 3 1/2 pounds)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 20 ounces chicken broth (canned or fresh)
- 2 quarts water
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1⁄2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 bunch escarole, cleaned and chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1⁄4 lb pasta, cooked according to package (small pasta, such as acini de pepe or ditalini)
- parmesan cheese
directions
- Place first 6 ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil., then immediately reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken easily falls off the bones. Remove chicken from the broth and allow to cool. Reserve the broth. When the chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove all of the meat from the bones and chop meat into small pieces.
- While the soup is cooking, make the meatballs. Mix together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and chopped parsley. Form into small meatballs and place on a baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven until fully cooked, approximately 15 minutes.
- Strain the broth used to cook the chicken. Add the remaining onion, celery, and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender.
- Cook the escarole in a separate small pot of boiling salted water until wilted, about 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry and add to the broth. Add the cooked chicken, meatballs and cooked, drained pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat well and serve accompanied by Parmesan cheese.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
There are several recipes for "Italian Wedding Soup" on the 'Zaar, and I looked at ALL of them, but chose this one since it is home-made from start to finish. It IS time-consuming, but I knew that from the get-go. WOW - was it EVER worth it!! I made 2 minor changes based purely on personal preference - no offense to Alan - and that is: (1) I used chopped fresh baby spinach instead of escarole - didn't cook it first either - just threw it in when I added in the cooked chicken and meatballs - it DID NOT turn my soup green; and, (2) when I mixed my meatballs I added some fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the mix. Outstanding soup recipe and many thanks to Alan for posting it! :)
Tweaks
-
There are several recipes for "Italian Wedding Soup" on the 'Zaar, and I looked at ALL of them, but chose this one since it is home-made from start to finish. It IS time-consuming, but I knew that from the get-go. WOW - was it EVER worth it!! I made 2 minor changes based purely on personal preference - no offense to Alan - and that is: (1) I used chopped fresh baby spinach instead of escarole - didn't cook it first either - just threw it in when I added in the cooked chicken and meatballs - it DID NOT turn my soup green; and, (2) when I mixed my meatballs I added some fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the mix. Outstanding soup recipe and many thanks to Alan for posting it! :)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I recently celebrated my 19th anniversary living in SW Florida. I moved here from Massachusetts, just north of Boston. As much as I miss family back home, I truly love living here - the beaches, the tropical beauty, the people, and the weather (except the hurricanes!). Everyday is just another day in Paradise. I work at the new international airport here in Fort Myers. I have an opportunity to meet many different and interesting people from around the world. I've had an interest in cooking since I was a little boy, following my grandmother around the kitchen. Since I wasn't blessed with any artistic or musical talent, I think cooking was my way of being creative. My passion is my family and friends. My second passion is cooking for them. My favorite way to entertain is informally...brunches, cookouts, and small dinner parties. Just relaxing, enjoying each other's company, some good food and drink, and a little fun are the only rules of the house.</p>