Italian Wedding Soup

We finally got some snow this weekend.

Yay!!

And now the forecasters are predicting another another 2 to 3 feet is on the way, starting this afternoon.

I hope they're wrong!

Clyde has no idea what we're in for.

It's going to be hard to wag that tail, buddy, when it's buried in snow.

Today's recipe is a PERFECT soup for a snowy day!  Meatballs, cheese, escarole--a wedding of flavors that go together so well.

Today's Playlist

• "Badfish"...Jack Johnson
• "Short Skirt/Long Jacket"...Cake
• "Poprocks & Coke"...Green Day
• "The Girl Got Hot"...Weezer
• "Dirty Little Secret"...All-American Rejects
• "Animal"...Neon Trees
• "In One Ear"...Cage The Elephant
• "Fell In Love With A Girl"...The White Stripes

Italian Wedding Soup
Printable Recipe

For the meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the soup

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dried orzo, or other tiny pasta (optional)
• 1 bunch escarole, chopped (about 6 to 8 cups, loosely packed)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Gather your ingredients.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare your meatballs.  

My "Italian Wedding" meatballs are much different from the typical meatballs that I make:  they're smaller, and heavy on the cheese.

Chop the oregano.  If you don't have fresh oregano, you can substitute dried oregano (only use 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried if you are substituting).  I prefer fresh oregano because it has such a bright, mild flavor.

Place the ground beef into a medium bowl.  Add the bread crumbs.

Add the cheeses--Romano and Parmesan.

Throw in the chopped fresh oregano, and salt & pepper.

Crack in an egg.  Combine until thoroughly mixed.

And if I may add in my two cents right here...the best way to thoroughly mix meatballs is with your hands!

After the meat is mixed, I use a measuring teaspoon to form tiny, uniformly-sized meatballs, about 3/4-inch in diameter.

Don't worry about forming them into perfect, round meatballs.  Just remove them from the teaspoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

You will have approximately 40 meatballs.  I needed to use two baking sheets.

Place them into your preheated 350-degree oven and set your timer for 8 minutes.

Flip them after 8 minutes.  Place them back into the oven and bake them for an additional 7 minutes.

They should be cooked after 15 minutes total; if they're not, however, don't sweat it.  If need be, they can finish cooking in the soup!

After you put the meatballs into the oven, get started on the soup.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a 4 to 6-quart sauce pan.  Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion begins to soften.

When the onions have started to soften, crush the garlic into the pan.  Stir for a minute or two, until the garlic becomes really fragrant.

Pour in the chicken broth.  Adjust the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Remove your meatballs from the oven and allow them to drain on a paper towel while you finish making the soup.

When the soup begins to boil, stir in the orzo.  Lower the heat to a high simmer, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is cooked al dente.

While you are waiting for the orzo to cook, prepare your next addition to the soup, the egg/cheese mixture.  Put the Romano and Parmesan cheeses into a bowl.

Add two eggs and vigorously stir with a fork to combine.

When the orzo has finished cooking, stir the chopped escarole into the soup.

Add the cooked meatballs.

While you are stirring the soup, drizzle in the egg/cheese mixture.  You want to only stir in one direction, creating a slight whirlpool.  I couldn't even take a picture of this step for you, because I needed both hands to do it--stirring with my right hand while drizzling with my left.

It didn't matter, because the ribbons of cheesy egg didn't form for me. They never do!  It doesn't stop me from trying, and you shouldn't let it stop you. This soup is so fabulous that you won't care whether your cheesy eggs are pretty ribbons or tiny little confetti.

Sprinkle a little bit of additional Parmesan or parsley on top.  Or both.

I can't even begin to describe how fabulous all of these flavors are together.  I think this soup tastes even better the next day, when the flavors have had some time to blend.  A match made in heaven.

Enjoy!