Minestra (Escarole and Little Meatballs Soup)

Submitted by PamLuvs2Cook

"From the Sopranos Family Cookbook with a little addition at the end from me. Yummy!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1 head escarole (about 1 pound)
• 6 quarts chicken broth, homemade if you have it
• 3 large carrots, chopped

• For the Meatballs

• 1 lb ground veal or 1 lb beef
• 2 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup onion, finely minced
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

• Foe the end of cooking and serving

• 8 8 ounces tubetti or 8 ounces spaghetti, broken into bite sized pieces
• 1 large egg, mixed
• freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

directions

1. Trim the escarole and discard any bruised leaves. Cut off the stem ends. Seperate the leaves and wash well in cool water, especially the center of the leaves where soil collects. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1 inch strips. You should have about 4 cups.
2. In a large pot, combine the escarole, broth, carrots. Bring to a simmer and cook until the escarole is almost tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape the mixture into tiny meatballs, less than 1 inch in diameter.
4. When the escarole is cooked, stir in the pasta and return the soup to a simmer. Drop the meatballs into the soup. Cook over low heat, stirring gently, until the meatballs and pasta are cooked, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. At this point I drizzle in one mixed egg and stir. It makes pretty egg flower strings throughout the soup.
5. Top with grated Parmesan and serve hot.

Reviews

[elizabeth c.]

This is pretty much my Nana's recipe that I grew up on....... She would add a few tablespoons of grated parmigiano to a couple of beaten eggs to add at the end. She also used very small pasta like orzo or acine di pepe. I always loved hearing that there was minestra for dinner.......

 

[Wendy E.]

Six QUARTS? Or six CUPS?

 

[breezermom]

I made this exactly as posted, except I forgot the eggs at the end....I don't think I missed them, except it would add bulk to the soup. I halved the recipe expecting to get 3 servings, but ended up with about 7 servings. Other, than this, this soup is spot on....delicious! I added the seasonings I liked at the end, as the poster suggested. I did add garlic in the first step, as I can't seem to make anything without garlic. Do check your seasonings before serving...I used homemade stock, that had no salt added. So I added salt. I also added pepper and a bit of italian seasoning. But if you use canned stock, you might not need salt. Taste before adding seasonings! This soup is delicious and very filling....made for PAC Spring 2011.

 

[dicentra]

This was easy and yummy. I forgot the carrot, and skipped the egg. Went together in no time with already made meatballs. DD loved it. Nice sunday lunch.

 

[susie cooks]

Yeah Pam, this is fantastic!!! Followed your directions exactly and served the soup with pesto garlic bread. Everyone loved it!! I will make this a lot, especially in the cold months. This is a wonderful recipe!