Italian Wedding Soup With Chicken Meatballs

Submitted by Susan M.

"This was from Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. The original recipe called for both ground chicken and chicken sausage. I adjusted the amount of ground chicken for the meatball recipe so that I did not have to use packaged chicken sausage as it was very expensive. I also adjusted the spices."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 20
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• For the meatballs

• 1 1⁄4 lbs ground chicken
• 2⁄3 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves (1/4 cup)
• 1⁄4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• For the soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrot (3 carrots)
• 3⁄4 cup diced celery (2 stalks)
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 1⁄2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small shell pasta, such as tubetini or 1 cup acini di pepe pasta
• 1⁄4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces Baby Spinach, washed and trimmed

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the meatballs,.
3. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, fennel seeds, milk, egg, salt, and pepper.
4. Combine gently with a fork.
5. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
6. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto sheet pan. You should have about 40 meatballs.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
8. In the meantime, for the soup.
9. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot.
10. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
11. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil.
12. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
13. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper.
14. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.
15. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.
16. Notes.
17. You can also subsitute escarole for spinach in this recipe.
18. Gran Pandano is a less expersive parm cheese Only parm cheese from a certain area and certain cows can be stamped parm reggiano the King of cheeses in Italy.
19. To make quick meatballs, divide up meat mixture into quarters. Roll each quarter into a long log and then cut into pieces. You can then roll the pieces into meatballs (or not - shape doesn't matter in the soup).