How To Make Italian Wedding Soup: Yummy Recipe
The best thing about visiting different countries is by trying different dishes. One of the best dishes that really stood in one of my stays in Italy was an Italian wedding soup. This soup has one of the best qualities I could ever find in a bowl of soup, from the meatballs, the pasta, and the consistency. That’s why many people wanted to learn how to make Italian wedding soup and have this served on any occasion.
What I love about the Italian wedding soup is how easy it is to make, and the ingredients are pretty plain and simple. With the following steps I made, you are sure to get yourself a sumptuous meal out of averagely-priced ingredients but with a flavor of a 5-star restaurant. You will also know what are the ingredients in Italian wedding soup to get that perfect taste.
What Are the Ingredients in a Italian Wedding Soup?
The basics of how to make Italian wedding soup can be all seen once you’ve tasted it. It’s most distinct feature is having those delicious meatballs. This soup can’t be done if your ingredients are incomplete. Know about what are the ingredients in Italian wedding soup.
Ingredients:
For the Meatballs
- 1 medium-sized onion, grated.
- 1/4 cup sliced fresh parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. of minced garlic
- 1 tsp. of salt
- 1 slice fresh white bread, crust shaved, bread torn into bits
- ½ cup grated Parmesan
- 250 grams of ground beef
- 250 grams of pork
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Vegetable Soup
- 2 tbsps. of olive oil
- 1 diced onion
- 2 carrots, sliced.
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 stalks of celery, diced.
- 500ml of water
- 500ml of beef broth
- 6 cups of chicken broth
- ½ tsp. of salt
- ½ tsp. of black pepper
- 1 cup of pasta, ditalini.
- 4 oz. of chopped and trimmed spinach
Steps on How to Make the Meatballs
Learning how to make Italian Wedding Soup will never be complete if you don’t cook the meatballs first. Here are the useful and easy steps in making meatballs.
Step 1
Before making your meatballs, pre-heat the oven at around 350 °F. Get your baking sheet and paper. Then coat it with non-stick spray for cooking.
Step 2
To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the garlic, sage, and chives. Mix it thoroughly to have and even ratio.
Step 3
Once the first mixture is already set, add in your ground beef, cheese, sausage, and salt. For me, mixing them thoroughly is the key to having delicious meatballs. It ensures that each ingredient is placed proportionally in each meatballs.
Step 4
The next step is forming the meatballs, you don’t need equipment here, your hands will do the work. Form the meatballs by either a round-shape or oval-shape, it depends on your preference. Also, the size of the meatballs depends on how much ingredients you have put into the bowl. For this process, we’ll be making average-sized ones for us to have many meatballs. Who doesn’t love meatballs?
Step 5
Once your oven’s temperature reaches 350 °F, bake your meatballs. Remember the step from before to spray some non-stick cooking spray so you won’t have a hard time pulling them off once they’re finished.
Step 6
Bake it for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are brown/lightly brown. After 20 minutes, get them in the oven, and let them cool in room temperature. Set aside for the next step.
Steps on How to Make the Vegetable Soup
Now let’s go to the part about making the vegetable soup. This part is very challenging, as you need to achieve that taste of an Italian style. Check it out.
Step 1
Get your cooking pot, make sure it’s deep enough for your soup. Some prefer saucepan when making the vegetable soup, but for me, the best idea is to make it in a deep cooking pot. Pre-heat the pot in medium heat. When desired heat is achieved, place olive oil.
Step 2
In your cooking pot, add celery, carrots, and onions. Stir frequently to distribute heat between the veggies evenly. Cooking these would take around 8 to 12 minutes the most.
Step 3
After 12 minutes, put all the liquids inside. Beef broth, water, chicken broth, wine, salt, bay leaf, and pepper. Bring the elements to a boil.
Step 4
When it’s boiling, get your pasta. Put your pasta inside, and don’t cover your cooking pot. Bring it to a slower boil so the pasta cooks very well. Cook it around 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 5
Once the pasta is tender enough, slow the heat in the lowest possible temperature. Now add your spinach or celery, and the meatballs.
Step 6
Simmer the meatballs and spinach for about 3 to 6 minutes. The important part is slow cooking it. if your spinach has wilted, you know it’s done, and the meatballs should be warm as well.
Step 7
Ladle the soup in a deep bowl. To cap things off, put grated Parmigiano Reggiano!
Step 8
Enjoy your meal! That’s how to make Italian wedding soup!
Why Is It Called a Wedding Soup?
Italian Wedding soup sounds like a delicacy that is only served at Italian weddings, but this is somewhat a contradiction, because it has nothing to do with wedding ceremonies—instead, its label “minestra maritata,” which means “married soup” qualities.
Refer to the combination of flavors, the marriage of herbs, meatballs, and al dente pasta. They all combine to create a “marriage” of wonderful flavors and unique ingredients.
Tips and Tricks on How to Make Italian Wedding Soup
To achieve that remarkable and one of a kind Italian wedding soup, check out the tips that some of the people don’t know about. Check it figure out the secret towards making the best Italian wedding soup pasta and more.
- For the juiciest meatballs, go for breadcrumbs. Store-bought breadcrumbs are way better compared to homemade breadcrumbs.
- Stick with fresh ingredients. For maximum flavor, stick with fresh ingredients that were just dropped from the market. Having fresh ingredients tends to have deeper and harmonious flavors when these are combined.
- Use two types of meat. I’ve used sausage and beef. Having different meat adds a whole new texture.
- Make the meatballs uniformed. I highly suggest that each and every meatball have the same size. They look cleaner when presented.
- Wet your hands when trying to form the meatballs to avoid sticking here and there.
- Scale down or up. No matter how you like it, the Italian wedding soup can be scaled up or down, or according to your preference.
Conclusion
Voila! Learning how to make Italian wedding soup is a breeze, right? Italian wedding soup can be made perfect for as long as you followed my instructions above. With this guide, you’ll never have to worry about going to your nearest Italian resto as it is already written here.
Practice more to achieve that best Italian wedding soup of yours. Lastly, these are just simple and basic methods for preparing Italian wedding soup. As you practice along, you can add new dimensions to the flavors and consistency of the soup. Happy eating. Here's how to learn more about wedding catering.
