Italian Wedding Soup

There are so many things to love about a wedding, but Italian weddings are special. They are full of traditions and flavors. One thing you can almost always be sure of is there will be soup to start and it will likely be a traditional Italian wedding soup. We love it and see no need to wait for someone to get hitched to have it, we make it year round.

Ingredients

The Meat From a Small Cooked Chicken
6 Carrots (peeled and diced)
3 Stalks of Celery (diced)
1 Large Onion (diced)
2 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
4-6 Cups of Shredded Kale, Spinach or Escarole (escarole is the traditional green)
12-20 Meatballs (I made mine from ground turkey and they were great fresh, however, I believe pork and or beef would have held its flavor better in the freezer.) For our Meatball Recipe click here You can also cheat by purchasing pre-made, frozen meatballs but beware your soup takes on the flavor of the meatballs.
2 Bay Leaves
2-3 Teaspoons of Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons of Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon of Red Pepper Flake
4-6 Quarts of Chicken Stock
3-4 Cups of Small Pasta ( I used Farfalini, but could use Acini de Pepe, Ditalini, Orzo or any other tiny pasta.)
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Taste
( If you need more chicken flavor I recommend adding in some chicken base such as Better than Bullion or Knorr’s Stock Cubes)

Instructions

Cook the chicken and pull all the meat from the bones. This can be done a day ahead of time. I did mine in a crockpot for ease.
Save the stock for the soup.
Add some olive oil to the bottom of a soup pan and cook the onions, carrots, and celery until translucent.
Add in the stock, the chicken meat, and the spices, including the bay leaves.
Next, add in the kale or whichever green you selected.
Cover the pot and bring it all to a boil.
Once it has all cooked together by boiling for 10 minutes or so, add the meatballs and reduce to low and simmer. Keep the pot covered.
Simmer for at least one hour.
Do not add the pasta until you are ready to serve.