The Woods at Whippoorhill: Italian Wedding Soup

I love cold weather, and I love soup. Good thing, because we've had a lot of both this winter! I chose this delicious soup to cook for my birthday dinner last week. It'd been on my "to try" list for a while. It's called "Italian Wedding Soup", and it is based on the recipe by Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa. I love her recipes and her style! Check out the tablescape I designed when I hosted my cookbook club last year. We all made our favorite "Barefoot" recipes to share.

Like I said in my last post where I shared the Redbird tablescape for my birthday dinner, I had planned my menu ahead of time and done some of the shopping already. I planned to go back for fresh bread and herbs, but since we were snowed in, I had to find something else to do. Never fear! I made a few adjustments, and since I had never made this recipe before, no one knew the difference!

I began by making my meatballs earlier in the day. They called for ground chicken (which I had bought) and ground chicken Italian sausage (which I had completely overlooked!). I always have a pound of bulk sausage in my freezer for sausage gravy or sausage balls. I substituted it for the Italian chicken sausage, and I really believe it gave it more flavor!

You can find the Barefoot Contessa recipe online. I am sharing my modified recipe below. It was delicious, so when I make it, I will make it just like I did that night...substitutions and all!

Italian Wedding Soup

meatballs

one pound ground chicken

one pound Jimmy Dean regular ground sausage

two slices of white sandwich bread

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 heaping tablespoon of dried parsley

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (not the green can)

3 tablespoons milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

salt and pepper

soup

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

10 cups of water

10 teaspoons chicken stock base

1 and 1/4 cup small pasta (I used ditalini)

1 tablespoon dried dill

12 ounces baby spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor, pulse sandwich bread until it becomes fine breadcrumbs. Mix all ingredients for meatballs and form into small balls. (I didn't add all the milk at once. See how the mixture feels. If it is dry, add a little more at a time. If it is too wet, it won't hold together in pretty round balls.) Place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. I got about forty meatballs out of the two pounds of meat. Bake until done and browned - about 45 minutes. Set aside. I made these right after lunch. I didn't put the soup together until about 5:00.

In a dutch oven, heat the EVOO over medium-low heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery. Saute until they begin to soften - about 5-7 minutes. Do not let them get brown. Stir them often. Add chicken base and water and mix well.

TIP - I have been buying the refrigerated chicken base for several years now. It keeps a long time in the fridge, and takes up so little space compared to boxed or can stock. And I like that I can add a little extra when I want a stronger flavor. I keep a jar of chicken and beef base in my fridge at all times. This can be found on the chicken stock aisle. Refrigerate after opening.

Bring stock and veggies to a boil. Add pasta and reduce to medium low. Keep it at a simmer. Cook about 8 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Add dill and meatballs to the soup and simmer one minute. Taste for salt and pepper, add to taste. Stir in fresh spinach and mix well. Cook for one minute or until it is wilted. Ladle into soup bowls, and sprinkle with extra Parmesan.

I served this with a Caesar salad and homemade focaccia bread. I made sure everyone got four meatballs. Check back soon for the recipe for the bread. It was so simple, but was so impressive!