Description
Our mom’s version of Italian wedding soup – little meatballs simmered in broth with greens and eggs. Comfort in a bowl.
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 small onion, minced or grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork (or mixture of ground pork and beef)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
- Approximately 12 cups homemade chicken broth (can substitute low-sodium canned broth)
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- About 6 cups of escarole (can substitute other greens; baby spinach works great too; I also sometimes use a mixture of spinach and escarole)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Crusty bread
Instructions
For the meatballs: Mix the onion, garlic, egg, salt together in a large bowl. Add the ground pork (or mixture of pork and beef, if using), Parmesan and a few grinds of pepper. Mix together. (Cook’s note: I usually fry up a little meatball at this stage in order to be sure I have the seasoning right. This gives you a chance to adjust seasoning before you shape them all!) Using your hands, shape into little meatballs – approximately 1 inch in size. Place on cookie sheet or tray.
For the soup: Bring broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the meatballs to the broth and cook until they are almost cooked through (about 5 minutes). Spoon any foam off the top.
Whisk the eggs and cheese in a small bowl to blend. Using a wooden spoon, stir the soup in a circular motion. Slowly add the egg mixture to the soup, using the spoon to gently stir the eggs into thin threads in the broth.
Add greens to the broth. Cook until wilted – about 3 minutes.
Add salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with plenty of Parmesan cheese and crusty Italian bread.