Loving Spoonfuls

Loving Spoonfuls Little Bits Find Bliss in Wedding Soup

By Andie Marshall Photos by Christina Richey

Marshall is a home cook whose fondness for soup began when she was a working mom. With soups, she always had nutritious, homemade and reheatable meals on hand.

Making this Italian wedding soup—a combination of leafy greens, mini meatballs and tiny pasta—motivates me to visit local butchers and markets in the spring. There are rainy and chilly days still ahead, but at the farmers’ market you can find an early crop of spinach to add the right amount of freshness to this soup. Any dark leafy green, like kale or chard, would work, too.

Here’s how this recipe came to be: The Italian wedding soup served at a local restaurant is a favorite of our oldest granddaughter. Despite valiant efforts, I have failed to get the recipe, so I have worked over the years to duplicate it. Originally, I used Italian sausage for the meatballs, but I made the switch to a combination of chicken and chicken sausage for a healthier, leaner soup.

Making the meatballs from scratch is a worthy extra step. Use a small melon ball scoop to shape uniformly sized meatballs—it’s easier and cleaner than rolling them by hand.

Warm, crusty Italian bread is a perfect pairing for this soup.

Where to get the goods

For fresh, locally sourced chickens and chicken sausage, try area butchers like Moody’s Butcher Shop (locations in Avon and Zionsville, moodymeats.com) and Goose the Market (at 25th and Delaware streets, www.goosethemarket.com).

Find leafy greens at the Indy Winter Farmers’ Market (at the downtown Indianapolis City Market, www.indywinterfarmersmarket.org) and the Bloomington Winter Farmers’ Market (www.localgrowers.org/wintermarket.html).

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe by Andie Marshall

Serves 8

For the meatballs: 1 small yellow onion, grated 4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2⁄3 cup fresh white breadcrumbs, crust trimmed 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 extra large egg, slightly beaten 3 tablespoons milk 12 ounces ground chicken 8 ounces chicken sausage, casings removed ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.; line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. In a large bowl, mix the grated onion, parsley, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. 3. Add the beaten egg and milk, and mix well. 4. Add the ground chicken, chicken sausage and cheese, and mix well. 5. Use a small melon ball scoop to shape meatballs. The mixture should yield around 40 meatballs. 6. Place the meatballs on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

For the soup:

2 tablespoons good olive oil 1 cup minced yellow onion 12 cups chicken broth ½ cup dry white wine 1 cup acini de pepe pasta (or pastina) Cooked meatballs (from the recipe above) Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1 pound baby spinach, washed and trimmed Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium-low heat. 2. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 6 minutes. 3. Add the chicken broth and wine and bring to a boil. 4. When boiling, add the pasta and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until pasta is tender. 5. Add the cooked meatballs and simmer for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. 6. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. 7. Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese.