Recipes in Rotation: Italian Wedding Soup (Zuppa di Matrimonio)
Recipes in Rotation is a series that allows me to highlight recipes that have made their way into “the book.” This book is the binder that contains recipes we make on a regular basis — at least monthly and in some cases, every two weeks. I keep them in this special binder for quick and easy access without sorting through a bunch of other recipes to speed things up when I need to get dinner on the table.
Today’s recipe is a Italian Wedding Soup (Zuppa di Matrimonio)
Despite it’s name, Wedding Soup is not usually served at weddings, but rather, it is named this because it is a wonderful “wedding” of ingredients.
This soup started out with a very basic stock base, but over the years we have made it more and more like our typical chicken soups, with lots of vegetables included. You can also include a piece of parmesan rind to kick up the flavor. We often do this with most of our homemade soups.
We usually make this about once a month and there are always plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners on night when we are too busy to consider cooking a complete meal.
Italian Wedding Soup (Zuppa di Matrimonio)
- For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbls bread crumbs
- 1 Tbls grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- For the soup base:
- 2 Tbls olive oil
- 6 cup chicken stock
- 1 medium onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 3 inch section of broccoli stalk (optional)
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 inch piece of real Parmesan rind (if available) *
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- Chop onion, carrot, celery and broccoli stalk in food processor
- Heat oil in large pot, add vegetables above and cook over high heat until soft
- Add chicken stock and parmesan rind and heat to a low boil.
- Lower heat
- Mix all meatball ingredients and form into small, spoon-sized meatballs
- Drop meatballs into boiling stock in small groups. Stir between each addition to prevent sticking
- Once all meatballs are added, add orzo and simmer until orzo is cooked al dente
- Add chopped kale, stir and cook until just wilted
* If you buy real Parmaggiano-Reggiano cheese, it will have a thick rind which is normally inedible. Adding this to a soup or stock, though, adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the soup. You can discard the rind once the soup has completed cooking.
More soup recipes:
Previously in Recipes in Rotation:
- Risotto Rosso with Sausage
- Spicy Turkey Burgers or Sliders
- Douglas’ Italian Red Sauce
- Buttermilk Cornmeal Waffles
- Douglas’ Secret Christmas Chili
- No Fuss Focaccia Bread
- Turkey curry with potatoes and sweet potatoes
- Potato Soup with Add-ins
- Taco meat seasoning for ground turkey
- Mild Taco Sauce in the style of Taco Bell
- Gnocchi Au Gratin Orleans from Emeril Lagassé