My kids love Italian wedding soup. Not just because they are half-italian, but also simply because it's yummy. But the smell of that soup from a can, or even from the giant vat at the supermarket, smells like bad vitamins to me. So I was determined to figure out a homemade recipe that was easy (relatively), quick, and as satisfying to them as the store-bought stuff.
The trick to this recipe is having a giant stash of homemade tiny meatballs in the freezer as well as some homemade chicken broth. You can get decent organic chicken broth at the supermarket, but it's not as good as homemade.
Italian Wedding Soup
- 2 cups Acine de Pepe (those little round pasta dots)
- 1 cup meatballs
- 1 bag frozen spinach or 2 cups raw
- 8 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup Romano cheese
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Cook the pasta in a saucepan and drain.
- In a separate pot, heat the broth and add the meatballs, salt, and pepper.
- Add the cleaned and chopped spinach. If you are using frozen, make sure it's thawed out and drained, since the water in the spinach will dilute the broth.
- Add the cooked pasta.
- You can add the Romano cheese to the soup in the pot, but it will just stick to the bottom of the pan. Your best bet is to garnish the top of the soup in the bowl...but the cheese adds that final Italian touch of yumminess!
I also added a few fennel fronds to the soup. But a handful of chopped herbs is good, too!
For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com