A hearty soup that's a meal in itself. Served in many homes at holiday dinners as a first course. Also known as "Wedding Bell Soup." This is our family soup that is served at all big meals!
Ingredients:
- 2 (48 oz.) cans chicken broth (low salt, low fat optional)
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 2 heads of Escarole, rinsed well and chopped in large chunks
- season to taste: black pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, and thyme (I use about an 1/8 of a tsp. of each). NO salt
- pasta (For Wedding Bell Soup, I use Prince- Acini di Pepe- small beads. If making a heartier meal, I use cheese tortellini or mini-ravioli.)
- shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving
Meatballs:
- 1-1/2 lb. chopped sirloin or leanest hamburger
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- season to taste: black pepper, seasoning salt, Italian seasoning, and basil - a dash or 2 of each
Directions:
Mix meatball ingredients well and form into very tiny soup meatballs. Set aside.
Using a large soup pot, pour in 2 cans of broth plus a half can of water. Add onion, celery, garlic, and escarole. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Add all seasoning and fresh meatballs (they will cook in soup), DO NOT pre-cook, as the flavor of the beef adds to the soup. There will be no fat from beef, because you used leanest hamburger. Let simmer 1 hour. Add pasta 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with fresh shredded Parmesan to top soup. Garlic toast or bread is a great addition and a salad makes a complete meal. Enjoy!
Servings:
As an appetizer, serves 20, as a meal, serves 8-12
Prep Time:
30 Minutes Minutes
Cooking Time:
1 hour 15 minutes Hours
By Jackie H. from Norton, MA
