- Wedding bells must be ringing because guys, this soup is truly a match of flavors made in heaven. Homemade Italian style meatballs are seared and then simmered in a veggie packed broth that's studded with chewy bites of pasta. And since this is Evolving Table, where we make healthier spins on classic recipes, I'll be sure to show you a few substitutions so that you can easily make this Italian wedding soup gluten-free, dairy-free, or even just a tad bit healthier. So if you're ready, let's jump straight in and get to cooking. I'm not sure if you already knew this, but Italian wedding soup isn't actually served at Italian weddings. I know, right? It got its name from the
phrase "Minestra Maritata," which means a marriage of ingredients. And in the case of this soup, it's a beautiful marriage of meat and vegetables. So let's start with the meat, or in this case, the meatballs. While you can just buy a bag of the frozen meatballs at your grocery store, the real flavor comes in the soup when you make them from scratch. And if you grab a partner to help you out, they shouldn't take you more than about 10 to 15 minutes to prep. For the meatballs, you want to add half a pound of ground sausage to a large bowl. A mild, medium or hot sausage can be used. Turkey sausage can even be substituted to make them a bit leaner. Half a pound of ground beef. A 93/7 or a 90/10 is best in order to balance out the fattiness of the sausage. Ground turkey can also be used. The combination of ground
beef and ground sausage is key in getting that incredible flavor in our soup. So try not to substitute
one for the other. Next, we're going to add half a cup of an Italian seasoned breadcrumb. This is the gluten-free brand I'm using today, but regular breadcrumbs can also be used. Just make sure to toss in a teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning to add that delicious flavor. One-third cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and one large egg that has been whisked. These three ingredients act as the binding agents that will help the meatballs hold their shape while cooking. One-fourth cup of finely
chopped fresh parsley, curly leaf or flat Italian parsley can both be used. Two cloves of finely minced garlic, three-fourths teaspoon of salt, and one-fourth teaspoon of black pepper. Mix the ingredients together with a spatula, a potato masher, or just take your rings off and get your hands a little dirty. I find it so much easier to mix it up this way. Once everything is well combined, scoop out two teaspoons worth of mixture and then shape into a meatball. It's important that the meatballs are as close to the same size as possible so they cook up evenly. Using one of these scoopers can really help you out. I'll be sure to link the one I'm using in the description box. Also, if your hands get sticky, simply spritz them with a bit of non-stick cooking spray and continue rolling. You should end up with
roughly 48 meatballs. Add one tablespoon of oil to a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat along with half of the meatballs. Sear for four to five minutes, rotating every minute or so, or until they are lightly
brown on all sides. Remove the meatballs and let them drain on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining meatballs. While that last batch finishes cooking, I'll quickly chop up the vegetables. I'll be using what's
called a "mirepoix" today, which is really just a fancy word for the combination of carrots, celery, and onion. For this, you'll want
to peel and finely dice two to three medium-sized carrots to get about one and a half cups. Finely dice three stalks of celery. And finely dice half of a sweet onion. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot along with any remaining drippings from the meatballs. Stir in the diced
carrots, celery and onion. Saute for three to four minutes, or until they start to become tender. Stir in three cloves
of finely minced garlic and continue cooking for one minute. Next, pour in eight cups of a regular sodium chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any bits or pieces that may be stuck. This is super important since you don't want any of those pieces to burn while you're cooking the soup. Bring the broth to a boil. And then add in one cup of a small pasta. I'll be using what's called Acini de Pepe today, which is these small balls of pasta that look a lot like couscous. And you can also use orzo pasta if this one is hard to find. Feel free to substitute with a gluten-free
pasta variety if needed. Then add in half a
teaspoon of salt to taste, one-fourth teaspoon of black pepper, a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. This is totally optional and can be left out if you don't want any spice. And then carefully add in the meatballs. They tend to splash if
you add them in by hand. So you might want to grab a spoon to slowly lower them into the hot broth. Give the ingredients a good stir. Cover the pot with a lid and then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer the soup for seven to nine minutes, or as long as the pasta
package directions indicated. Once the meatballs and
pasta are cooked through, toss in three cups of spinach that has been roughly chopped and stir until well-mixed. Quick word of caution here. If you save leftovers, you're going to notice that the pasta continues to absorb a lot of that broth. So make sure that you save at least a cup or two to add back into the soup when you want to reheat it. Got to get a good bite with the meatball. Oh, my goodness. Yes, the perfect marriage
of all those flavors. It's so good. And guys, I think it's even better than any of the kind that I've ever had at a restaurant. But I'd love to hear what you think. Make sure that you let
me know in the comments. And if you want a few more cozy comfort food ideas, make sure you check out these other healthy
fall and winter recipes. Thanks so much for hanging out. I'll see you in the next one.
