ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Zuppa del Matrimonio

SERVES 6–8

This traditional southern Italian recipe celebrates the marriage of vegetables with meatballs in a heaven of soup. So it pretty much has nothing to do with a real wedding. Nobody who gets married in Italy eats this soup at the wedding. “Hey, let’s get married! I can’t wait to have meatballs!” Are you nuts?

½ cup olive oil

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup yellow onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 eggs

cup panko breadcrumbs

3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

Salt and pepper

3 cups fresh baby spinach

3 quarts chicken stock (see recipe on here)

2 cups orzo pasta

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and cook the carrots, onion, and celery until soft and starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

While the vegetables sauté, make the meatballs. Mix the beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Form into ½-inch balls and set on a baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes.

Add the spinach to the sautéing vegetables and let it wilt. Then add the chicken stock to the vegetables and cook over high heat until it is somewhat reduced. Add the pasta to cook, and when the meatballs are ready, add them to the pot, too.

Boil 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.