Real Housewives of NJ's Caroline Manzo's Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup – QUICKIE VERSION!!!!

Usually the base for the soup is home made chicken soup, but this is quick and easy.

Ingredients

Meatballs:

1 ½ lbs ground beef, pork, veal

5 good sized garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

Handful of grated cheese Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Salt & pepper to taste

3 slices white bread, crust cut off, broken up

Combine all ingredients and then shape mixture into small balls, about 1” in diameter. Place on cookie sheet or plate and put in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Mixture should make about 50 meatballs.

Soup:

11 Cups Chicken Broth

1 sweet basil leaf

½ cup carrots chopped

½ cup celery chopped

1 medium sized onion chopped

1 pound escarole (you can also use spinach)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large soup pot sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in oil about 2 to 3 minutes

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium to high heat.

Add meatballs and escarole and simmer until meatballs are cooked through and escarole is tender.

Now you have to options here, you can add egg and cheese or pasta. Don’t do both because it’s too much.

If you’re going to add egg and cheese get two large eggs and wisk them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese.

Stir the soup in a slow circular motion, gradually drizzle egg and cheese mixture into broth gently allowing it to blend.

If you’re going with the pasta option use a small grade pasta like Acini de Pepe or Orzo.

I usally use about ½ lb of pasta and throw it right into the broth and let it cook out, usually about 10 minutes.

Whatever your choice add grated cheese to garnish, and a little garlic bread on the side doesn’t hurt either!