Best Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

In a large bowl, add all the meatball** ingredients: 1/2 pound ground beef, 1/2 pound ground pork, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, and 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

You need 4 cloves of garlic and 1/2 yellow onion for the meatballs, plus more for the soup itself. So do yourself a favor and smash and mince 8 cloves of garlic (add half to the meat mixture, set the rest aside.) Use a food processor or some time and patience with a knife to chop 1/2 yellow onion into tiny pieces. You can also use a cheese grater if you like. You want these pieces of onion to be quite small so that they melt into the tiny meatballs. While you are already crying, use a knife to chop the remaining 1 and 1/2 onions. These onions don't have to be chopped especially small, they are going in the soup. Set aside

Once you have the garlic and onion added to the meat mixture, use your hands to mix it all together. I like to use disposable gloves for this task. Using your hands really is the best way to combine meat; a spoon or spatula will never be able to get it as thoroughly mixed, and you will make your meat tough and heavy in your attempts to try

In a large soup pot (I use my 6 quart Dutch oven) heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. When it is shimmery, start adding meatballs. Use a 1-inch cookie scoop (or your hands) to shape the dough into tiny meatballs. Roll them between your palms to help them keep their shape while frying

Add the meatballs to the hot oil one at a time, with plenty of space between each one so that they get nice and browned. Add as many meatballs as you can without having any touch each other

Cook for about 1-2 minutes. Once browned, use metal tongs to carefully scrape the underside of the meatball and flip it to the other side. Cook for another 1 minute until browned. Adjust the heat as necessary so they don't burn. You do not need to cook the center of the meatball; it will finish cooking in the soup. You just want nice brown edges

Remove the browned meatballs to a plate and continue until all the meatballs are done. Add more oil if necessary. If the bottom of your pan turns black, embrace it, it adds flavor. If the oil starts smoking and it smells scorched, you've gone too far. Remove it all, wash the pot, and try again at a lower temperature. We are making our soup in this pot and you don't want that scorched flavor

Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to whatever grease is leftover in the pot. Turn the heat to medium and add 1 and 1/2 chopped yellow onions, 3 cups chopped celery, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning. Let saute for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent

Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant

Add 1/2 cup white wine and scrape up all the browned bits on the pan. Cook for a couple minutes until the wine is mostly evaporated

Add 2 cups beef broth and 10 cups chicken broth, see note* (I love to use Better Than Bouillon bases). Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil

Peel and trim 5 large carrots. Use a food processor or grater to shred the carrots. (You can also just chop them. I love the texture of shredded carrots in soup.) Add the carrots any which way you do them

Add 5 sprigs of thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Add 1 bay leaf

Add in 1 parmesan rind, if you have one. It's totally okay if you don't!

Add all the meatballs to the soup. By this point the soup should be at a boil; turn the heat down to medium or medium low to maintain a low simmer

Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes

Meanwhile, prep your greens. Slice the stems off each leaf of kale, then chop. You want about 3 ounces (about 4 cups). This is totally to taste, so feel free to add more or less. Chop 3 ounces spinach (about 2 cups) into bite size pieces

Add the kale, spinach, and 1 cup acini de pepe pasta to the soup. Continue simmering on medium heat for another 6-10 minutes, until the kale is soft and the pasta is al dente.(If you know you are going to have leftovers, you might consider boiling the pasta in a separate pot, draining, and adding it to each bowl of soup. The longer leftovers sit, the more the pasta will absorb the broth of your soup. Soggy pasta and broth-less soup would be a tragic outcome indeed.)

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh chopped parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, and cracked black pepper or crushed red pepper. Serve with crusty French bread!

Make the meatballs as instructed. Add the meatballs and these ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker: 1 and 1/2 chopped onions, 3 cups celery, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup white wine, 2 cups beef broth, 12 cups chicken broth, 5 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 1 parmesan rind (optional)

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. Add 5 shredded carrots, 3 ounces chopped spinach, 3 ounces chopped kale, and 1 cup acini de pepe pasta. Stir, cover, and turn the crock pot to high heat. Cook for another 20-30 minutes until the carrots are tender and the pasta is al dente. Serve with chopped parsley, parmesan, and black pepper or crushed red pepper