Wow! This Italian Wedding Soup was delicious. Chicken meatballs, lots of garlic, lemon, more lemon and garlic, spinach, carrots and homemade chicken stock! So good and perfect for January! This could actually serve as your essential chicken soup because we have the delicious stock and chicken meatballs along with carrots, celery and fresh spinach. If that’s not enough, there’s orzo pasta and parmesan cheese!
What is not to love about these loaded with flavor chicken meatballs? I mean this soup is healthyish! Isn’t that the word everyone is using today, healthyish? Actually I think Bon Appetite came up with the word and they say: “you probably already know what Healthyish is.
“At some point a while back, we at Bon Appétit came up with a word that sums up the way so many of us eat now: healthyish. As in, we like knowing where our food comes from, what’s in it, and who made it. We care about how food makes us feel. But, also, we’re not losing sleep over it. We’re not nutritionists. We don’t count calories or fret about our cholesterol levels (the good or bad kind).” I like that, healthyish.
What do you need to make this delicious Italian Wedding Soup?
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh parsley (substitute 1/4 cup fresh parsley)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (substitute 2 tsps dried)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- salt and pepper
For the Soup
- 1Â recipe meatballs above
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1Â medium onion, diced
- 4 tsp chopped garlic
- 4-6Â carrots, medium sliced
- 2-4Â celery stalks, medium sliced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4-6Â fresh spinach
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1-2 lemons
- 1 cup orzo
Here’s another dish I made with chicken meatballs that is delicious, Baked Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Pesto Pasta: Excellent Baked Chicken Meatballs with Broccoli Pesto Pasta
Ok, here’s the recipe for the Italian Wedding Soup! I can’t wait for you to try it! Let me know what you think!
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh parsley (substitute 1/4 cup fresh parsley)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (substitute 2 tsps dried)
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- salt and pepper
For the Soup
- 1 recipe meatballs above
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 tsp chopped garlic
- 4-6 carrots, medium sliced
- 2-4 celery stalks, medium sliced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4-6 fresh spinach
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1-2 lemons
- 1 cup orzo
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Roll them into about 1 to 1/2 inch balls. Place them on a baking sheet. When you are finished rolling all of the chicken mixture, place the sheet pan in the oven and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the meatballs have become a little firm to the touch. Remove them from the oven and set aside until needed to go into the soup.
- Stovetop Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes stirring to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the broth, the orzo and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir in the meatballs. Simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. If you have a parmesan rind, you can add it to the soup for additional flavor.
- Stir in the spinach, lemon zest and lemon juice and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove the parmesan and adjust the salt and pepper. Add some fresh basil if you want.
- Serve in bowls with extra parmesan and a crust bread. Enjoy!
- Instant Pot Instructions:
- Follow the instructions above for the meatballs.
- Set your Instant pot for sauté. Add the olive oil. When heated, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook about 5 minutes stirring to prevent browning. Add your garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and continue to cook an additional 2 minutes or so, continuing to stir. Add the broth, parmesan rind if you are using, the orzo and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir in the meatballs and set the instant pot on high for 8 minutes.
- Allow the steam to release on it's on. Remove the lid and add the spinach, the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Allow the spinach to wilt a little. Remove the parmesan rind and adjust your salt and pepper. Add some fresh basil if you want.
- Serve in bowls with extra parmesan and a crust bread. Enjoy!