Wedding Soup Italiano

Photo: Layne Diehl

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Soup:

1 1/2 gallons water

2 cups spinach (pressed tight& cut in ½ inch strips)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 finely chopped cloves)

4 beef bouillon cubes

4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 cups orzo pasta

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Prepare meatballs by mixing all ingredients in large bowl with a potato masher.

Shape meatballs into small to medium size (about 1 inch diameter)

Bake meatballs in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Fill large soup pot with water.

Add spinach, onion, basil, parsley, garlic, and bouillon.

Set temperature on medium high and bring to boil.

Continue simmering on medium low.

Remove finished meatballs from oven and rinse off excess grease.

Add meatballs to soup.

Bring soup to boil again.

Add orzo pasta.

Boil soup on medium high for length required by instruction on orzo box.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve garnished with fresh grated Parmesan.

Comments

Permalink Barbara L Nielsen
March 27, 2011

Step 8: Don't rinse off meatballs to remove excess grease - water and grease aren't a good combination and you run the risk of removing good pieces of flavor (fond) instead. If you want to de-grease, place meatballs on layers of paper bags or paper towels and gently roll around to let the paper absorb the excess grease. Then use.

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About

This is an awesome recipe and so healthy! This is one soup though where you should be careful about how long you let it simmer. You can keep it on low on the stove for a little while, but it is better to turn it off and heat up individual bowls if your family tends to eat in shifts like mine does. Otherwise, the orzo pasta can overcook and get soggy and the spinach will cook down too much and not taste good anymore. Also, don't cook to a rolling bowl, just a gentle simmer, as the ingredients will stick to the bottom of the pan. This soup is great to have with bread and salad and make it a meal. You can also use other Italian cheeses if you desire. Another suggestion, use ground turkey or ground pork or blend meats for a lighter variety. Enjoy!