Escarole and Beef Soup Recipe Food Network
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12/10/2006
After reading everyone elses reviews this is what I did to make the best Italian wedding soup I've EVER tasted. First I used about 7 cups of broth. 6 cups of chicken broth, 1 can of beef broth. The beef broth DEFINITELY adds that extra punch this soup needs. Definitely only use 1/2 cup of orzo, and boil in a seperate pot. I threw some green onions in. With the 7 cups of broth, it was enough for 4 people, + 1 days leftovers, which you'll definitely want! Next time I'll bake the meatballs before hand to get some of the grease off.
11/11/2006
My late grandmother came from the Old country, and I've used this recipe as a basis for replicating her recipe, but a few adjustments are critical. First, the pasta must be cooked separately; otherwise, it thickens and ruins the soup. If you don't plan on leftovers, the pasta can be cooked in the soup, but you need to go easy on the amount of pasta. She always preferred alphabet pasta. Second, she always used either ground turkey or chicken for the meatballs. Also, you need to take it easy on the spices in the meatballs because they can easily overpower the milder flavor of poultry. (By the way, why would anyone use ground beef in a chicken stock--it doesn't make sense, not to mention it isn't authentic.) Third, she used celery in her recipe. I add a couple of stalks, finely diced. I also up the amount of carrots. Finally, for an added touch, she always had hard-boiled eggs available for individuals to add, as they chose. It enriches the flavor and texture. This recipe is very good--with these few tweaks. Thanks for sharing it.
05/23/2006
I made a few changes to this recipe: - Reduce pasta to 1/2 cup (You can use orzo, small shells, ditalini, orecchiette...) - Brown meatballs in a little olive oil and drain before adding to soup. (Gives meatballs better color and flavor, and makes soup less greasy!) - I increased carrots to 1/2 cup, and sauteed with 1/2 cup onion in a little olive oil to start. I always saute vegetables in soup pot first, before adding broth. (Again, better flavor.) - I use spinach or escarole; both are yummy!
05/30/2002
Excellent soup!! I made this last weekend for lunch, and it was so good that I had to have it for dinner too! I made a few minor adjustments to it. For the meatballs, I used 1/2 lb grnd pork, 1/2 lb. grnd beef, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp steak spice and 1 tbsp worchester sauce and froze the rest of meatballs for next batch. I also browned the meatballs before adding them to the soup. I increased the carrots to 1/2 cup, and decreased the pasta (acini di pepe) to 1/2 cup. The pasta soaks up alot of liquid, so I cooked it separately and added it when the soup was finished cooking. I'm definitely making this one again, and recommending it to others!
10/21/2002
Delicious! Easy to make! Wonderful~ I followed the advice of others: 1. Make pasta separately (Acini de Pepe instead of orzo) 2. Baked the meatballs at 350 for 25 minutes 3. Used frozen spinach (I had some on hand) I also added some celery as well as some onion, garlic and zucchini that I had sauteed in olive oil. (also other people's suggestions) It was a nice touch but I think I will skip it next time and stick with the original recipe.
12/19/2002
I subbed in frozen chopped spinach for the escarole-this was delicious and easy!
08/13/2003
This was fabulous! I made it for co-workers and they loved it! I did take the advice of so many and did sub acini di pepe for the orzo, a bag of baby spinach for the escarole, baked the meatballs ahead of time, and added a small boiled and diced chicken breast. It was unbelievably good! I even did it all ahead of time, kept things separated, and then put it all in the crock pot to heat through for lunch. Thanks for the recipe Star!!!
10/09/2000
I found this soup bland. Moreover, the amount of orzo the recipe asks for is excessive. If the soup is not eaten immediately the orzo absorbs all the liquid. The end result is anything but a soup.
09/29/2002
YUM,YUM,YUM! I love soup, especially Italian Wedding Soup. This recipe is fantastic. My only problem was that the orzo completely took over the pot by the time myself, honey and guests were scooping out our seconds (and thirds). I doubled the recipe and the four of us didn't leave a drop left in the pot! Will definitely be making again, and again, and again... Thanks so much for sharing!
01/14/2006
Used ground turkey instead of beef...added more seasonings (and garlic powder)...and used a little less orzo. Turned out very good. Thanks for the post.
04/21/2010
Thanks to all the helpful reviews, we loved this soup! I took the advice of others to use 6 cups chicken broth & 1 cup beef broth. I also added 1 clove minced garlic to the meatballs & used dried minced onion instead of onion powder. The meatballs are delicious! I baked them (on parchment paper) at 350 for 20 minutes to get that nice color & get rid of some grease. Definitely good advice to go 1/2 cup on the orzo (even this ended up soaking up most of the liquid, but it was still pretty good!) & cook it separately. I used 1 cup carrots & liked that amount. I also added 1/2 of an onion (chopped) & 1 clove minced garlic sauteed with the carrots before adding broth & meatballs to simmer. I only had a 10 oz box of frozen spinach so I used that (added near the end of cooking) and it was good to go! The Hubster just loved this soup and he's a big fan of italian wedding soup, so that says a lot. Thanks for the recipe and all the great advice! Makes this a keeper! :)
01/10/2014
I did lots of tinkering, but nothing that changed the basic structure of the recipe. For the meatballs, a little less bread crumbs, a little more Parmesan, finely chopped onion rather than onion powder and the additions of a clove of minced garlic, a little parsley and 1/2 tsp. salt. For the soup, HALF the amount of pasta still required that I add more broth in the end. I love escarole, but frozen spinach is what I had available and it was an equally good substitute. Any pastina (little soup pasta) would work well in this soup and tonight I used stelline (pasta stars). Hubs and I enjoyed this very much and I can only imagine how much better this will be for lunch tomorrow after the flavors have had a change to marry. Great!
02/23/2010
I made this last night using a 1lb of ground turkey for the meatballs. The other minor changes were to saute the 1 cup carrots, 1/2 cup onions and celery with a little olive oil first for about 6 minutes adding some white wine before adding 8 cups of chicken broth. I didn't have escarole but needed to use up some fresh spinach. Before serving I whisked 2 eggs with 2 Tbs of parmesan cheese stirred the soup in a circular motion and streamed the egg mixture into the soup. Seasoned with a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Yummy!
07/15/2009
My kids love wedding soup. They grew up on it. My mother-in-law made this all the time when she had her own Italian restaurant. A couple of suggestions, try boiling the meatballs in water first then add to the soup. It takes the grease right out. Second, boil your pasta separate but don't add it until you are ready to serve. Leave the pasta in a separate container and add it to your bowl as needed. Try adding a little olive oil to the pasta to keep it from sticking together while its in a separate container. Hope these work for you!
01/07/2011
Easy & Delicious! I made a lot of alterations, but I think the base recipe would be fantastic as-is. Thanks Star! (1) Used ground pork. (2) Baked the meatballs at 350 for 20 minutes. (3) Increased the carrots. (4) Used spinach rather than escarole.
03/27/2007
Normally, I am extremely studious and research all the recipes before I make them. However, since this one had such high ratings, I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I think I should have read the reviews beforehand. It is a good starter recipe. I can only give this recipe 3 stars because it needs to be modified to be tasty and restaraunt grade. First off, I decided to make a double batch since I had a pound of sirloin and a bag each of baby spinach leaves and carrots. Like the majority of the people say, even though the meatballs are nicely seasoned, the soup, overall is quite bland. To save the pot ... and dinner, I dissolved two large chicken bouilion cubes (once again, for a DOUBLE batch) in a couple of ladles of the soup broth and stirred into the pot. Made a huge difference. Also, the pasta amount definitely needs to be cut back by half. I've got tons of leftovers. However, the pasta soaked up all the liquid. So, instead of soup leftovers, I've got an extremely tasty pot of noodles, meatballs and veggies. Once again, that can be salvaged with more canned broth during the reheating process. But, realistically, it's way too much pasta. I, too, used spinach instead of escarole - just a personal perference ... but tasty nonetheless. My husband loved it ... and I will definitely make it again ... just with the changes I mentioned.
09/05/2003
Comfort food at it's best! I made this because my friend really likes the Campbell's version, and I thought she'd like to try this. I added an extra 16 ounce can of chicken broth, used fresh minced garlic in my meatballs and broiled them before adding to the broth. Broiling the meatballs makes them taste better and allows you to drain off much of the grease that would end up in your soup. Acini di pepe pasta is very good in this soup as well. Taking the time to make a delicious pot of soup is so fulfilling. Try this, you'll like it!
02/08/2011
I made this for my boyfriend, and he loves it. The day before I made this recipe, I made my own stock, and I used 4 cups of that stock with one cup of beef bouillon - I thought I grabbed a can of beef broth, but when I got it home it was chicken. The flavor made by combining the broths is perfect! I used shredded carrots (so he'd eat them) and diced an onion for the soup. I did brown my meatballs slightly before adding them to the broth, and cooked the orzo separately. So I used a few dishes to make it, but it is worth the extra clean up! So good!
01/01/2011
This was great! As suggested by other users I used 7 cups of broth (6 chicken and 1 beef) and I browned my meatballs in olive oil before adding them to the soup. The soup was not greasy at all and the flavor was amazing. I also used spinach as my green! Great recipe, thank you!
03/17/2012
I gave the original recipe 4 stars, as it's a pretty good base. But upon reading other reviews I decided to make a few additions. First, I made the meatballs separate and used half ground beef and half ground pork (1/4 of ea.). In addition to the other ingredients listed, I added dried oregano, salt and pepper to the meatballs. I also took the advice of other reviewers and cooked a 1/2 cup of orzo separately and added at the end. I also did 4 cups of chicken broth, and 2 cups of beef broth and used spinach in lieu of escarole because I couldn't find it at the grocery store. This is the process I used: First, I made the meatballs, then in a large pot, I sauteed 1/4 cup of onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, and the 1/3 c. carrot in olive oil. I then added and heated up the chicken and beef broths and added the 2 cups of chopped (fresh) spinach. Meanwhile I was cooking the orzo and when it was done, I added it to the mix along with the cooked meatballs. I then simmered altogether for 10 minutes then served with garlic bread! YUM!
08/23/2002
The WORST Wedding Soup I've ever tasted!!! YUCK!
12/30/2010
So good! I used 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 turkey sausage for the meatballs (doubled batch and froze half for later), baked at 350 for 20-30 mins; and pre-cooked the 1/2 cup orzo before adding at the end. Also added 1 c. beef broth and some thinly sliced celery. (Thanks, other reviewers!). Everyone loved it and I will definitely make again.
08/12/2002
This is wonderful recipe, especially considering how fast and easy it is! I'm usually someone who picks the green things out of soup, but i ate half the pot myself the night i made this, green things and all. The only adjustment i made based on other reviews was to cook the orzo separately to avoid it sucking up all of the broth.
01/08/2011
use only 1/2 cup if using acini de pep instead of orzo and 1 lb ground beef was too much. Use only 1/2 lb and make very tiny meatballs
10/07/2002
Delicious! I used 5 cans of low sodium chicken broth and one frozen box of spinach instead of the escarole. Cooked the frozen spinach in the boiling broth with the carrots and then added the raw meatballs....it came out perfect...great soup recipe!
01/29/2003
This was unbelievable! I doubled the recipe but only used 1 cup of orzo pasta (as opposed to two) and I did cook it separately...it still continued to expand, but the taste is better than any restaurant wedding soup I have ever had! Great for a cold snowy night!
12/06/2001
The preparation time is short except for the making of the small meatballs. I would suggest cooking the meatballs seperately in slightly salted water so as to be able to skim the frothy material that is rendered from the meatballs. I would cook the pasta seperately also. I have made this soup several times and find this method best for my liking. This is a fantastic soup. I used frozen spinach for the greens. Dan Z.
01/24/2011
Tasty but needed some additions. For the meatballs I did not add basil or onion powder, I chopped a small clove of garlic and 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley and added it to the meat I also added 3TBS bread crumbs and 2 TBS grated parm along with the egg instead of what the recipe called for. In the pot for the broth I sauteed in olive oil 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 medium onion, and 2 medium carrots all chopped fine. I also added some chopped anise because I didn't have celery on hand. then I added a box of Trader Joe Chicken Broth and about a cup of water, let it come to a boil and then added the meat balls. and let it cook for about 15 minutes. I added 1/2 cup orzo and let it simmer until the orzo was cooked, and finally a bag if fresh spinach. I knew there would be no left overs which is why I cooked the pasta in the soup. I used lean chop meat and had no problem with the soup benig greasy at all. Good base recipe, thanks for adding.
01/14/2003
YUM. Good soup, I used spinach and acini de pepe as others had suggested. I cooked the pasta first to prevent absorbtion of all of the broth, and it worked out well for us. Thanks Star!
09/28/2009
I have been making this recipe since March 2008 when I found it here. I followed the recipe except that when making the meatballs I added more seasonings. I used garlic powder, a little seasoned salt, and roasted garlic seasoning plus what the recipe called for. I also added crushed garlic and finely chopped onions to the broth. I read reviews that were complaining about the soup being bland and they had cooked the meatballs seperately. Well you threw away all the flavor. The meatballs MUST be cooked in the broth, it makes all the difference. Also, if you use a ground meat with little to no fat you won't have the same flavor because that is where is comes from. I use most generally 85% ground beef. I have been asked for my recipe from so many people I lost count and am always asked to bring it to events. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could!
11/05/2006
This recipe is very close to what my Italian grandma makes. I add one more thing, just like grandma: just minutes before you serve the soup, beat a couple of eggs w/ some grated parmesan, and then whisk mixture into the soup. This makes it a bit more flavorful and rich.
09/05/2002
This recipe is absolutely WONDERFUL! I made it after visiting a local Italian food restaurant and wanting to duplicate what they had made. This is 10 times better! The meatball mixture makes more than enough meatballs but as I am a veggie lover -- I doubled the amount of veggies put into the mix. I give this one an enthuiastic two thumbs up.
04/08/2009
Wow, I can't believe I forgot to review this recipe! I made this for a church function a couple weeks ago (doubling the recipe) and people were scraping the bottom of my crock pot to get the last little bits out! I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef because we don't eat ground beef. I also substituted spinach for the escarole, as the recipe description suggested was possible. Lastly, to make it a little more authentic, I used acini di pepe (tiny balls of pasta) instead of orzo. The only bad part about this recipe is the time it takes to roll all those tiny meatballs, but when people scrape the bottom of the pot because it's so good, it makes it worth the effort. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
04/22/2002
I, too, am from Rhode Island. I have tried many recipes to compare to the wedding soups that are so popular here. This, by far, is the best. I think the meatballs could use a little pizazz so I add a dash of Heinz 57 Steak Sauce to the meatballs, but I would not change one other thing!
11/09/2006
My husband actually said this was good before I even asked! As other reviewers recommended, I added beef stock, sauteed the carrots with onion beforehand, and browned the meatballs first (I cheated and used frozen meatballs). I also cut the orzo to 3/4 cup partly because that's all I had and partly because I added more stock to the soup after throwing in a couple of potatoes in the beginning. The potatoes may not be traditional for the soup, but they were lurking in my fridge. Thank you so much for sharing! This was the taste I've been looking for for a long time. Now I know that green stuff in the soup I loved so much is escarole!
12/04/2002
I didn't care for this recipe. The orzo took control of the recipe. It calls for too much. There was also something that I didn't care for in the meatballs, but I couldn't figure out what. My daughter did enjoy it though.
10/17/2002
Without a doubt, this is wonderful, and I'm not even Italian. The first time I made this I used store bought frozen meatballs, and DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE!
11/04/2003
Great authentic recipe. I go heavy on the grated cheese, adding romano cheese too. Prior to serving, add a lightly beaten egg to soup. The extra egg and cheese boosts the flavor and nutritional value.
08/28/2002
My family really enjoyed this soup. I couldn't find escarole so I subbed with spinach. I also used acini pepe pasta instead of the orzo.
12/20/2010
This was absolutely SLPENDID! My boyfriend and I had never made wedding soup. He is crazy italian so he doctored u the meatballs with extra cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, basil and some oregano. Still the stated amount of egg and meat, however. They were DELICIOUS! Other than that, followed the recipe to a "t". The only other changes that I think I will do next time is to add a bunch of onion (personal preference) as well as maybe some ground oregano, basil, and salt and pepper to taste to the broth itself just to liven it up a tad. Regardless, great recipe. Thanks!
03/14/2006
This recipe was a HIT with my church! I scaled the recipe to 150 servings and made it 2 days in advance, saving the pasta for right before we served the soup. Instead of using broth, I bought jars of base. Worked out perfectly. We made the meatballs with a melon baller for uniformity. I eyeballed a lot of stuff at the end since I had a hard time with the scaling but it came out so good and a week later people are still talking about it! And I gave 100% of the credit to allrecipes.com!
02/28/2008
I love soup, and after making my own, I will never be able to eat the stuff from a can again! This soup was excellent! Based upon other reviews, I doubled the meat so I'd have a lot of meatballs, and added extra broth. I tried browning the meatballs before tossing them in with everything else, but may not do that next time (just to compare). I never measure veggies that I cut up for soup, and probably ended up with more than the recipe called for. Really didn't change much: some garlic and onion powder in the meatball mix, and a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper added to the broth. I have already made this twice, and plan on making it frequently in the future!
01/20/2012
Amazing, didn't have all the veggies mentioned, and I sauteed everything even my spices before putting it in the soup. thank you for sharing
02/16/2011
This was very good. I changed a couple of things to give it a light but flavorful taste. I double the recipe to feed our family of 6. to make the meatballs I used 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup parma cheese. I added the meatballs to the boiling broth that was 10 cups low sodium Chicken broth and 2 cups beef Stock. Along with meatballs I added the carrots, onions, and 1 stalk of celery, chopped. after 8 minutes, I added 14 oz of Fresh Spinach, chopped, and 1/2 cup parma cheese, and 1 cup orzo pasta and cooked for another 10 minutes. I was perfect! :) Thank you for this great start to a wonderful soup!
10/07/2007
This is one recipe I wish I hadn't followed the advice of fellow reviewers! Per prior reviewers, I used 1 lb ground beef and made the mini meatballs using my favorite meatloaf/ball recipe (minced onion, italian seasonings, garlic salt, worchestshire sauce, milk, egg, bread crumbs), used 8 cans of broth (7 chicken, 1 beef), 2 bags of spinach (1 baby, 1 regular), shredded carrots, and 1 C ancini de pepe pasta. The soup tastes great, but I realized I actually prefer a blander Italian Wedding Soup. I will make again, but this time I will follow the original recipe w/a blander meatball and all chicken broth. I will also use more spinach next time (and chop it before adding it to the soup). Thanks for a great recipe!
06/22/2002
This soup was excellent. Modified the recipe by using Acini de Pepe and omitted the carrots. Had to add some more Chicken Broth after the pasta absorbed the original 6 cups. Very Good!! Defintely will make again.
05/02/2011
Changes I made: baked mini turkey meatballs in 350 oven for 15 min, added spinach instead of escarole, sautéed onion, garlic, carrot and celery in pot before adding stock, and used tiny star pasta instead of orzo. Delicious and a family favorite!
01/28/2012
I'm usually so disappointed when I make a soup, somehow I just don't like it as much as when I have it at a restaurant, but this was great and pretty simple to make. I substituted ground chicken for beef since that's the way I've always had it and used acini de pepe rather than orzo. Also cooked the pasta separately as other reviewers have mentioned. Other than that I stuck to the recipe as written and this was a really nice soup. Just added some black pepper and sprinkled some pecorino romano on top when serving. Will definitely make again. The little meatballs are kind of fun to make!
01/08/2012
This recipe was a really good start, but with some tweaks it made the best soup I've ever had. Instead of hamburger meatballs, I felt sausage would add more flavor so I bought a tray of sausages and removed them from the casing. I then rolled the meat into balls and browned them and patted them dry to remove most of the fat. For stock, if you don't have any homemade I like to used 6 cups of water and two Knorr Homestyle Stock jelly cubes. I then season with onion powder, garlic salt and salt/pepper to taste. Finally, I use frozen spinach instead of escarole, and small bowtie pasta instead of orzo. I cook the pasta before hand so it doesn't soak up all of the stock and add the spinach to the boiling stock to thaw.
11/05/2005
Excellent! I used acini di pepe pasta instead of orzo for a more traditional soup, and frozen chopped spinach instead of escarole. This is definitely a keeper and so easy! Thanks for the recipe.
01/20/2011
excellent!
01/04/2007
My husband and I fell in love with Italian Wedding Soup made at a place in Florida called Doubles. This was very close to that same recipe! I did as the other raters suggested and used less pasta and more broth. The orzo absorbed all of the broth the next day (leftovers). Next time I will add about 7-8 cups of broth (6 cups chicken and 2 cups beef) and more carrots. Celery would also be a great addition. Overall, this is a wonderful recipe!
12/17/2010
Wonderful!!! The only thing I do different is cook the meatballs prior to putting in the soup. I either bake them on a cookie sheet in the oven (keeps them in the best shape) or brown in a small amount of oil in the pan I later cook the soup in.
02/14/2010
I read the reviews first and made with the following changes. Doubled the carrot, halved the pasta (cooked it first), and used half beef and half chicken broth. I also browned the meatballs in a pan first. It was quite good, needed a bit of salt and could use more broth. However I used penne pasta, couldn't find orzo, and I used 1.5 cups (recipe would have been 3 cups) and this was quite a bit of pasta, I could have used less but the shape of penne takes a lot of room. I also used a third of a pack of frozen spinach, which was perfect.
02/28/2008
I love soup, and after making my own, I will never be able to eat the stuff from a can again! This soup was excellent! Based upon other reviews, I doubled the meat so I'd have a lot of meatballs, and added extra broth. I tried browning the meatballs before tossing them in with everything else, but may not do that next time (just to compare). I never measure veggies that I cut up for soup, and probably ended up with more than the recipe called for. Really didn't change much: some garlic and onion powder in the meatball mix, and a little sea salt and fresh ground pepper added to the broth. I have already made this twice, and plan on making it frequently in the future!
08/28/2008
I am giving this 5 stars for 1(taste, 2(low sodium, 3(few ingredients, 4(ease in preparation and 5( BECAUSE WE LOVED IT!!! Made it on a chilly, rainy day and it was so comforting. Will make it again and again. (And we are not Italians, but what's not to love about Italian cuisine?)
01/08/2003
This was excellent! I just finished this for dinner and I am very satisfied. Besides the wonderful flavors mixed in the soup, I like the fact that it has your veggies, meat, and carbs all in one dish! As per another reviewer, I also baked the meatballs at 350 for 25 min., and they came out fine, except I would say to lightly grease the pan you use, as they tend to stick. You could also get away with baking them a minute or two shorter. I didn't add these to the soup while cooking, only when served. THanks for the great recipe! Oh, and I also used spinach, orzo (half of what's called for), and added garlic powder to the meatballs.
01/20/2011
Definitely cut down on the amount of Orzo pasta called for.....and DO cook the pasta separately....otherwise it easily overcooks and soaks up a lot of the liquid in the soup pot. Otherwise a very good recipe
05/23/2011
Really delicious soup! I followed other reviewers' suggestions and baked the mini-meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet for around 18 minutes at 375 degrees. I'm glad I did - I can't imagine the texture of the meatballs had I boiled them with the broth. I used two boxes of chicken broth and about 1/2 can beef broth (8 cups total?). I served the soup with sourdough bread, which was excellent for dipping!
11/01/2005
I love Italian Wedding Soup. I never made it myself before but this is just so easy. I added some garlic powder to the meatballs, I think they would be fine without it. Also I found this to be a bit salty next time I will use a couple cans of low sodium broth. This is great soup!
06/24/2004
I love this soup served at italian restaurants, I also substitued the Escarole with fresh baby spinach leaves, finely chopped. I found that 5 3/4 cups of chicken broth was not quite enough, so I added another 3 cups. I used Acini Di Pepe noodles instead of the orzo pasta, the orzo reminded me too much like white rice.Other then that it has a great taste.
02/23/2011
Outstanding! The only change I made was to use fresh spinach instead of escarole. I served this with homemade dinner rolls. YUM!!!
09/14/2011
Love this soup. I use 3/4 cups pasta and frozen spinach instead of escarole.
10/20/2003
All I can say is "excellent!" This soup recipe was awesome. I took some of the advice of the other reviewers and used spaghetti noodles broken into 3's because that is how the Spaghetti warehouse serves it. I also brought a pack of that precooked roasted chicken and cut the strips into cubes. The results were simply awesome. My son loved it so much that we ate it all in just two days. The next time I make it I will add a few more cups of broth, because it wasn't enough and I will make a bigger batch so it will last about 3 or 4 days. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for sharing that recipe.
02/26/2011
It is a common misconception that this is a soup traditionally served at Italian weddings. It actually gets its name from the "marriage" of leafy vegetables and meat. I look forward to trying this recipe, which looks delicious.
01/16/2008
Very good soup! This is very similar to my recipe for Italian Wedding soup, but I like these meatballs better, although I did substitute ground turkey. To those who found it a little bland - do not pre-cook the meatballs. Let them cook in the boiling soup and then the spices will season the broth. I make my meatballs smaller using about 1 tsp. per meatball and I use acini de pepi pasta (tiny ball shape) instead of the orzo. Sometimes I just use ground pork sausage for the meatballs wehn I am in a hurry.
10/21/2007
I also added a chopped onion and sauteed it with the carrots in olive oil at the start. Added the broth (low sodium) - 3 cans of chicken, 1 of beef. Initially found the meatballs to be bland. Next time I made it I squeezed the pork mixture out of the casings - used sweet italian sausage - and formed it into meatballs. Browned the meatballs before adding to the soup. Also cooked the pasta before adding - 1/2 cup acini di pepe - and added at the end. Just perfect and lesss time-consuming.
05/15/2006
YUMMY, Fast and very simple to make. My hubby is 100% Italian and says that this tastes almost like his mom made for him as a boy. I have made this recipe a few times now and it is always good. I have tried using pre-made turkey meatballs (for a more weight watchers friendly meal) and it is still 5 stars in my book.
12/30/2013
I have made this soup many many times and my family loves it! The only thing i would recommend is to stick to the recipe as far as the instructions go. Some people here recommend BAKING the meatballs thus effectively removing any beef flavor from the soup and then ADDING beef broth! If you cook your meatballs in the soup you will get that beef flavor as they release the flavor when they cook. Also, I add 1/2 cup of pasta and cook it in the soup. I does absorb the liquid somewhat but i like that "cooked in the broth" flavor of my pasta. I just turn the soup off after about 5 minutes of cooking when the pasta is not done yet. After it sits for 10-15 minutes, it gets done but not mushy.
02/18/2002
This soup was really good. I used a little less than 1/2 cup of the pasta after reading all of the reviews and it turned out very good. I did end up adding some salt and fresh ground pepper for more taste to the broth, but that was just my preference. I highly recommend putting the parmesan cheese on top before eating. If you have fresh grated cheese, even better.
04/14/2012
So wonderfull. Made ths today as it was a rainy day. Only change was I subbed spinach as I did not have escarole on hand. Still deliscious. Froze the leftovers. Looking foward to eating the leftovers at future lunches.
04/14/2006
This was really good! Unfortuately, I forgot to add the orzo, but it was still really good. I will make again with the orzo. I also browned my meatballs before i added them to the soup. I did not add the escarole either; when I got to the store and saw what it looked like, I was not too sure about adding a lettuce type veggie to my soup. I made it with "Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches"(from this site). The combo was awesome together.
03/22/2012
Perfect on a chilly day! Great taste! I was lacking some ingredients, so I used regular egg noddles and it was wonderful
08/13/2002
I might be partial to this, but I wanted to let you all know that this soup (If prepared correctly) is the best I've seen yet. And I'm sure there are better ones out there now. But as for me I give this soup , TWO Thumbs-Up!
02/08/2006
This is an excellent soup and so easy. I do brown the meatballs first in the soup pot, remove them and saute the carrot (personal preference) I think this step adds flavor to the soup.
02/15/2009
My husband said I got this soup bang on. Used extra lean ground turkey for the meatballs and raw minced onion instead of onion powder. To soak up the extra liquid, I added probably a 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. I rolled the meatballs to 1/3" size for our toddler. As others suggested, I increased the amount of diced carrots to two large carrots and added 2 stalks diced celery and green onion. The stock was homemade beef and chicken split 50-50. I used baby spinach instead of escarole and poured the soup over rice since we didn't have pasta. This was quick to make, comforting, and tasty.
11/13/2006
yummm...talk about comfort food! Who doesn't love meatballs? And soup with meatballs - fabuloso! It's not quite a 5 star meal but a darn good regular family meal. That being said I did a few things different. I baked my meatballs a little first - I was too scared to just throw them in, I was sure I would stir the pot and end up with one big meatball stuck to the spoon. This also helped get rid of the excess fat. I fried some onions and celery in the soup pan then added the stock just because that's the way mamma always started a soup. Sheer yumminess will add to my box =) Oh...one more thing, I noticed some of you reviewers added wisked eggs to the soup and I figured what the heck and gave it a try...it ended up looking like little bits of shredded egg, kinda weird, what's your secret to the eggs??
10/23/2008
This was a great soup! I have always tried the canned versions from grocery stores. Fresh and homemade always wins out. I found using fresh basil, coarsely chopped, works nicely. Just to clear up any confusion, the origin of the name in fact has nothing to do with Italian weddings: the term 'wedding soup' is a mistranslation of the Italian language, minestra maritata, which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together.
06/05/2006
I love this recipe it's so authentic. I do use ext lean ground turkey instead.
11/14/2005
Great recipe. I added a little celery and added escarole at the end and cooked until tender. I also used ancini di pepe instead of orzo. If you prepare this in advance you might want to have some extra chicken broth on hand or use a little less pasta. The pasta really sucks up the broth after it sits in the refrigerator overnight.
12/22/2010
It was good soup, but after all the work of making meatballs and pasta, what I really wanted was spaghetti and meatballs, not soup. Too much labor when other soups are just as good but less work.
04/12/2002
This was really bad. The meatballs were bad. The soup tasted salty. Sorry but I will not be making this again.
11/28/2010
Not quite as good as some that I've had, but good nonetheless and very easy to make. I did modify the recipe a bit, following a combination of suggestions from other reviewers. I baked the meatballs at 350 for about 15 minutes and cooked the orzo separately. I then sauted some garlic, onion and the carrots in olive oil before adding the stock and all the other ingredients. Got lots of compliments!
12/25/2011
The soup was a hit! everyone loved it and wants the recipe!! Ended up following everyone's suggestions 1. used 6 cups chicken broth and i cup beef broth 2. for the meatballs used half pork and half beef and also cooked them before i put them in the soup 3. only used 1/2 cup of stelline pasta and cooked it before putting in the soup 4. ended up cooking on low in my dutch oven for about 5 hours to really build the flavor
03/21/2009
I used spinach instead of escarole, pre-cooked the meatballs in a frying pan until golden brown, and then threw everything in the slow cooker to simmer. Delicious!
01/08/2007
FANTASTIC! One of the best soup recipes that I have tried on this website. I substituted spinach in place of the escarole, rice instead of the orzo pasta and reduced the liquid while cooking, since I don't like too much in my soups.
10/19/2010
1/2 pound italian sausage 2 tbsp bread crumbs 2 tbsp parmesan cheese 1 tsp dried basil 3/4-1tsp onion powder 3/3 tsp garlic powder mix above and roll into 1/2 inch balls 6 cups chicken broth 1 1/2 cups pasta 2 carrots peeled into shavings 1/2 cup diced green onion 1/2 to 3/4 cup roughly chopped italian parsley
03/29/2011
I am really enjoying this soup. I doubled the recipe, but did not double the orzo. Also, I used homemade beef broth in place of the chicken broth and I did bake my meatballs (400 degrees for ~15 minutes) and just added them to the soup at the end.
05/17/2006
This was fantastic! Changes: I baked the meatballs at 350, covered, for 20 minutes before adding them to the soup, used bagged baby spinach instead of the escarole, and some tiny pasta in place of the orzo, as I couldn't find any. This is a great recipe and I will definitely use it again. Thank you!
06/13/2011
We thought this soup was pretty good, but the meatballs were tasteless. They definitely would have benefitted from some salt and maybe some garlic. The parmesan flavor wasn't noticeable at all (and I used grated reggiano parmesan) and I think I'd add more of that the next time. I substituted fresh spinach for the escarole because that's what I had on hand, but otherwise followed the recipe.
03/04/2003
When my aunt's fancy Italian grocery store was out of this soup, I jumped at the opportunity to make such a high-rated recipe. I, too, used the Acine di Pepe and spinach. Other than that, I followed this recipe exactly. Since I had to transport this soup, I cooked the pasta separately and put it into a freezer bag to add when the soup was to be served. It couldn't have turned out more perfect! My aunt thought it was better than the Italian store and my Grandmother loved it, too. My brother even called today to say how impressed he was with this soup. This was my first time making soup and I WILL be making this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
01/27/2009
I made this pretty much a stated in the recipe. Hard to rate it if you totally changing it around. the only thing I did different was substituting Italian seasoning in the meatballs for the dried basil, which I didn't have. I added the orzo right to the soup as stated and it did not change the broth one bit. It is still a nice clear thin broth. I love this soup and will make it again. The only reason I did not give it five stars is because I used a different herb in the meatballs.
10/13/2011
Yum! This is simply fantastic. I must admit, I did not anticipate this to be as good as it actually was. I expected a decent soup, but what my hubs and I ate tonight far exceeded that. Fall weather is finally here (the temp dropped from the high 70's to the low 60's overnight). Steaming bowls of soup warmed us up on this chilly day. :) To be fair, I must disclose that I made several changes, some to suit my / our tastes and one completely by accident. Because I mistakenly thawed ground chicken, I used that instead of beef. I also upped the breadcrumbs / cheese by a couple T due to my mixture being too mushy to form meatballs (with my change, I had no problems). I added a 14.5 oz. can of beef broth since many reviews susggested it gave this soup the "oomph" it seemed to be lacking. I also added a couple of sliced green onions because I had them on hand. My final change was to sub acini di pepe pasta for orzo and boil it separately, then add to our soup - and I'm glad I did. NOTE: There is no need to bake or brown your MB's first. My hubs usually comments when I skip this step, but he and I both agreed that this was just not necessary. Served with a crusty loaf of Italian bread, this was a delicious and simple meal. Thanks for sharing Star! :-)
09/24/2014
this is delicous! I made today,because its a rainy day here. I have to say this>>it is the same recipe that is made by Jo marie in " Love letters" by Debbie Macomber ---I went to her web site and found the recipe. It has less pasta & I'm glad I use less -- 1/2 cup is enough. I used a mixture of greens,celery & fresh onion -browned my meatballs, then put in broth with all the other veg.I precooked the pasta in broth and added last and added 1 can of beef broth after reading all the reviews-- a new favorite to make again!
01/29/2007
this was so easy to make and its tastes wonderful. We used turkey burger and spinach instead of ground beef and escarole. but still, it was awesome!
01/30/2009
Excellent soup. I like more vegies in my soup so I added extra carrots, celery & onions. I made my meatballs with ground Turkey(Less fat) & used Kale and acini di pepe pasta. Got rave reviews at my house. I froze some before adding the pasta, turned out great!
05/19/2002
this recipie is better than any italian wedding soup I have had at Italian restaurants!!!!
04/05/2002
I used 7 cups of chicken broth - I also doubled the meat and halved the orzo -- I satueed 1/3 cup of onions and a 1/3 cup of zucchini in a pan w/ chopped garlic and a bit of olive oil and added it to the soup as well, plus 1/3 cup of chopped celery. Delicious!! My husband loved it!
04/11/2008
this is a very good soup. I added a few finely chopped onions to my meatballs rather than the onion powder.
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Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13024/italian-wedding-soup-i/
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