Tags
dinner, easy weeknight dinner, Fall, healthy, Italian Wedding Soup, kale, meatballs, pasta, pork, recipe, Recipes, soup, vegetable soup
Oh Fall. You are probably my favorite season. The changing leaves that are crisp under your feet, sweaters and boots, tea on cozy afternoons, whisky on a brisk evening and my true favorite the return of soups and stews to dinner time. Really what is not to love?! It is a magical time where you get to enjoy all the good things about chilly weather, without that nasty four letter word that I dare not name out of fear it will appear – I do live in Alberta after all!
For a chilly week night soup is such a great dinner option – healthy, inexpensive, can be put together quickly, and is almost always guaranteed to taste better the next day (yay left overs!).
But if I’m being honest when I eat a vegetable soup for dinner I kind of feel cheated and slightly unsatisfied. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoy them – curried cauliflower soup delicious! I just miss the meat and carbs. Which is probably why I enjoy Italian Wedding Soup so much. Tasty little meatballs, beans, bits of pasta and the goodness of vegetables for a well balanced meal.
My Italian Wedding Soup is an amalgamation of a few recipes, that is hearty and healthy. Added in lots of vegetables, used pork as a lean meat, and low sodium broth. The soup keeps well for a few days in the fridge and freezes well but for no more than 3 months.
Enjoy!
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 3/4 pound ground pork
- 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- salt & pepper
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 small bunch of kale, thinly sliced
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
- 1 cup of orecchiette pasta
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Directions
- To prepare meatballs: Combine pork, breadcrumbs, cheese, egg, parsley, oregano, garlic, Worcestershire, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up. With damp hands, shape the mixture into small 1-inch meatballs (about 1 small tablespoon each).
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To prepare soup: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in broth, beans, pasta and the meatballs and any juice. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add kale and stir occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
- To serve top each portion with 1 tablespoon grated cheese.
Do you have any favorite fall soup recipes? Feel free to comment and share. Thanks 🙂