Italian Wedding Soup

If you've never had this before, you're in for a treat.  It's a hearty soup full of little mini-meatballs, and is a lot of fun for kids in particular.  They always seem to love the meatballs and all the pasta in the soup. 

To make the meatballs, mix the following together in a bowl:

1 pound of ground chicken
1 small onion, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Then form into meatballs so small they are one-bite size for a child.  (Pro-tip -- the mixture is pretty sticky; in order to roll them into a nice shape, you should wet your hands.  When the meat starts to stick, it's time to rinse your hands again.)  Put them on a non-stick cookie sheet and into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

While they are baking, bring one gallon of your favorite chicken broth (either homemade or your favorite store bought brand) to a simmer.

To it, you can add a variety of vegetables -- it's really up to you.   I always add carrots, sliced into roughly the same size as the meatballs, and depending on what you like and what's in your fridge, you can add zucchini, celery, some chopped spinach or other leafy vegetable, the stems of broccoli, or anything else that appeals to you.  As with most Italian style soups, they're not about precision; they're about using what's available.

Let the veggies simmer until they are soft and add the meatballs when you take them out of the oven.

Finally, cook up about 1/2 pound of pasta in a separate pot, so as not to have the pasta absorb all the broth while cooking.   Small tubes are traditional, but again, it's really up to you.  I like orzo or shells.   When the pasta is done, drain it and add to the soup and then serve it up with some nice crusty Italian bread.

You can also garnish the soup with a sprinkling of grated cheese if you'd like to make it extra savory.

Buon appetito!