Okay, I can’t believe I am doing this. Today I give you the Beyonce of soups, the holy grail, the legendary, Italian Wedding Soup. I never thought I would share this recipe with the internet but here goes nothing! This recipe has been in my family for generations on end, so if you choose to make it, you better savor every drop!

The Meatballs:

(Preparing this days ahead of soup eating day)

  • 2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 6 sprigs of finely chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp. garlic salt
  • ½  tbsp. black pepper (flattened)
  • 4 eggs 
  • 1 ½ cups of bread crumbs

Instructions:

  1. Combine the beef, cheese, seasonings, parsley and breadcrumbs together using your hands. If this grosses you out, you can use a potato masher or a wooden spoon, but your hands are the best tool for this process to ensure everything is evenly mixed. 
  2. Crack eggs into the meat mixture and mix until everything is combined evenly. 
  3. Roll the meat into balls a little larger than a pea and put them onto plates.
  4. Once all your meat is rolled, ready a large frying pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Start frying your mini meatballs and let them cool in a large bowl. 
  5. When your meatballs are cool, store them in the freezer until the day you make your soup. 

Escarole:

  • 1 head of washed escarole 

Instructions: 

  1. Wash and chop escarole and boil in a large pot of water until tender.
  2. Let it cool and chop again into small pieces.
  3. Bag it and put it in the freezer.

Croutons: 

(Must be made the day of serving!!)

  • 1 bag of unseasoned stuffing 
  • 4-6 eggs
  • Pinch of salt and parmesan cheese

Instructions: 

  1. Make or buy unseasoned stuffing.
  2. Beat eggs, adding a dash of salt and cheese. Add small amounts of the stuffing to the egg mixture, cover the stuffing in the egg completely.
  3. Fry the cubes in oil and butter until golden brown, repeat this process until all the croutons are cooked. 
  4. Set them aside to cool until you are ready to put them in the soup.

The Broth: 

  • 1 large roasting chicken
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1 large onion (halved or quartered)
  • About half of a cabbage

Instructions: 

(Read very carefully, this is the most important part of the soup!)

  1. Detach the breast of the roasting chicken, this can be saved for another meal.
  2. Fill a 10 quart sized pot, about 3 quarters of the way full of water. Let the chicken come to a boil and put a cover on top. Note: there will be scum that surfaces to the top of your boiling water and chicken, do not worry, you will be skimming this off. 
  3. When the soup has come to a boil, take a skimmer/strainer and strain the excess that comes to the top of the pot. You will have to do this about 2 other times to make sure it is gone.  
  4. When the soup is free of scum at the top, add in the carrots, celery (with leaves), onion, and cabbage, along with a dash of salt. 
  5. Let this boil for at least 5 HOURS, yes 5 hours. The more the cook time, the better. I recommend letting it boil on very low heat overnight.  
  6. After the cook time has finished, give it to taste to make sure it has enough salt. Strain the soup back into the pot letting it drip completely. 
  7. When your soup is completely strained, add your escarole, meatballs and croutons. 
  8. Boil this all together for about 20 min and finito! 
  9. Serve and enjoy:)