Tiny meatballs, chicken broth, escarole and more in this old-time recipe from my husband's grandmother. Serve soup with grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top. Make a big batch - it freezes well!
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
Source: My husband's Grandmother, Esther
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp fine dry bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 6 to 10 basil leaves, chopped fine (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion (or 1/2 tsp. onion powder)
- 12 cups chicken broth (or two 46 oz. cans)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped carrot
- 2 medium-size heads escarole, washed well and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 1/2 cup orzo or pastine (acini de pepe)
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Steps:
- In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil. Meanwhile make the meatballs, chop the carrot and wash, slice and drain the escarole.
- In a medium bowl, combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. Parmesan, basil and onion. Meat should be a little more "wet" than dry. Mix well. Roll meat into 1/2 inch (or smaller) balls and set on a plate.
- Add meatballs slowly to the chicken broth, stirring occasionally so they don't stick together. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the carrot, then escarole and lower to a slow boil.
- When escarole is limp, add the orzo. Cook for about 10 minutes until the orzo is tender.
Note: Make the meatballs by pinching off small pieces. This is the time consuming part, the rest is a breeze. Esther said great pride was taken in making them very small! Wet hands make rolling them easier. TIP: Escarole is sandy. Make sure you wash well, drain and shake off excess water.
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Donna
Gold Post Medal for All Time! 555 Posts January 25, 20141 found this helpful
It's been snowing and cold here all week so I decided to make this soup. I used 12 chicken boullion cubes and 12 cups water in a crockpot and a large can of turnip greens since I was too lazy to leave the house to buy escarole and it turned out great!
I even added some zucchini cut small to get more veggies in us! This is a keeper!
attosa
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 1,246 Posts February 4, 20190 found this helpful
This looks so good. I've never made Italian Wedding soup like this one. Can't wait!
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