Italian Wedding Soup

I've always been intrigued by Italian Wedding Soup but for one reason or another I have never worked up the courage to eat it or make it. Spending close to an hour pouring over recipes, I finally came across Recipe Girl's version of Ina Garten's Italian Wedding Soup. The soup appeared to have complex flavors yet seemed really simple to make. Also the meatballs looked delicious so I knew I had to give this recipe a try. 

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8 

Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. turkey sausage
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh Italian Parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. milk
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Soup:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
10 cups chicken broth
1 cup orzo pasta
8 oz. fresh baby spinach, washed & stemmed 
1/4 cup minced fresh dill (optional)
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
parmesan cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a medium bowl, mix together ground turkey, turkey sausage (casings removed), breadcrumbs, minced garlic cloves, chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, milk, egg, and salt and pepper until combined. 

Roll turkey mixture into 1-inch or smaller meatballs (about 1 tablespoon of turkey mixture). Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Bake meatballs for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. 

While the meatballs are in the oven, dice carrots, onion, and celery and set aside. Add olive oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add celery, carrots, and onion to oil and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. 

Once vegetables have softened, add chicken broth and if using, white wine (I did not personally care for the flavor that the wine added to the broth but some people love it.) Bring the soup to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 - 8 minutes or until the pasta is tender. 

If desired, stir in the chopped fresh dill at this point. I also did not care for the dill flavor in this soup. When I make it again, I will leave out the dill and add 1/2 tsp. oregano to it.  But if you love the flavor of dill, stick to the recipe and add the 1/4 cup chopped dill. 

After adding the dill, stir in the cooked meatballs and spinach. Simmer the meatballs and spinach in the soup for 1 minute until the spinach is just wilted and the meatballs are warm. 

Serve the soup garnished with extra parmesan cheese. 

Keep in mind that this soup makes a lot of delicious meatballs. You can store extra meatballs and use them in dishes such as spaghetti. 

'Till next time,
Caroline