While the meatballs are in the oven, Sydney is busy preparing the vegetables for the Italian Wedding Soup. The term ‘wedding soup’ is originated from the Italian language, minestra maritata which literally means ‘married soup’. It is referred to the green vegetables and meats which go well together.

Joyce was jokingly saying that it’s great to work with Sydney again on this recipe as both of them were working on the Pavlova Roll with Passionfruit Cream with great success at the previous cooking meet. However, she continued to say that she does not need another wedding as she enjoys her single and free life now.

The Italian Wedding Soup is very flavourful and is rich with lots of vegetables, especially the escarole which has a very mild hint of bitterness in it. With the addition of pasta in this soup, it is very filling too and can be a meal by itself. It is also great to serve the soup with some bread sticks which I will blog later.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• pinch of nutmeg
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken or beef stock (we used a combination of both)
• 1 medium can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup small pasta, such as ditalini, orzo, or stars
• 1 12 oz. bag of spinach, or 1 bunch kale, chard, or escarole (broad leaved endive), chopped
• additional Parmesan for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and saute onion with salt for 8 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Add garlic, carrot, celery, and nutmeg, and saute for 1 more minute.

Add chicken stock.

Add tomatoes and summer for 15 minutes.

Add pasta.

Add meatballs, and cooks for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until past is almost tender.

Add greens, and simmer until both greens and pasta are cooked, another 2 minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Joyce, Sydney and Karen, thank you for making the Italian Wedding Soup.