Minestra (Escarole and Little Meatballs Soup)

Barefoot Beachcomber's Note:

Delicious and pretty to serve. From the Sopranos cookbook.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 head escarole (about 1 pound)
• 6 quarts chicken broth
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 8 ounces ditalini or 8 ounces tubetti or 8 ounces spaghetti, broken into bite size pieces

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup very finely minced onion
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• fresh pepper

Directions:

1. Trim and clean the escarole.
2. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1 inch strips.
3. You should have about 4 cups.
4. In a large pot, combine the escarole, broth and carrots.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is almost tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mix together the meatball ingredients.
7. Shape the mixture into tiny balls, less than 1 inch in diameter.
8. When the escarole is cooked, stir in the pasta and return the soup to the simmer.
9. Drop the meatballs into the soup.
10. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the meatballs and pasta are cooked, about 20 minutes.
11. Taste for seasoning.
12. Serve hot with more grated Parmesan.

Reviews

[Chef1MOM~Connie]

My Dear BB! This is the nicest soup, sol simple and yet so cozy to have. We loved the flavor of the soup, the mini meatballs were great. The colors make this a company for dinner soup. Mike and I especially liked that it was warm and comforting on these near 0 days. Had with a tuna and cheese panini sandwich for dinner. Perfection! Made in Honour of our dear ED.

[K Lo]

This soup was very good. I do think though that the number of servings is more than 6 because of the number of ingredients. 6 quarts of chicken broth, a whole head of escarole and 1 lb of beef plus the other ingredients in the meatballs. I ended up with so many leftovers, which is fine because I froze it to enjoy for weeks to come. Excellent recipe!