What’s For Dinner: Italian Wedding Soup

We are total soup nuts.  From homemade chicken soup to roasted vegetable soup and everything in between, my husband and I love to make soups.  Here is our rendition of the well-known Italian Wedding soup – gluten free style!  (Of course you can edit this to not be gluten free, but just so you know, it is just as yummy gluten free!)

YOU WILL NEED:

For the Chicken Meatballs:

• 3/4 lb mild Italian sausage
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons water
• salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

For the Soup:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 oz fresh baby spinach
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• Gluten-free pasta

NOW TO MAKE THE CHICKEN MEATBALLS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Use a teaspoon or tablespoon to create bite-size meatballs.  Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

ON TO THE SOUP:

1. Put olive oil in a pot over medium to high heat.
2. Add onions, celery and carrots.  Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add white wine and cook for 2 minutes
5. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Then reduce heat to simmer and add salt and pepper to taste.
6. If using gluten-free pasta, cook the pasta in a separate pot according to the pasta’s al dente cooking instructions.  We use Delallo orzo and love it!  If using conventional pasta, we recommend elbows or any other small-shaped pasta.
7. Once the meatballs are done, add them to the soup pot along with the dill and parsley.  Cook for about 3-5 minutes.
8. Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes more.
9. When pasta is done, drain.  Add pasta to serving bowls and spoon soup over it.
10. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and enjoy!

WINE PAIRINGS: Since I love wine and talk about it a lot on the blog, I figured I’d offer some wine recommendations to pair with this yummy soup.  We love sauvignon blanc with this meal, but pinot grigio would pair well too!

OK, so who’s going to try out this recipe?  Do you have your own rendition of Italian Wedding Soup?  Please do tell!