Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup | Its still in the 30s in the morning… so I think it’s safe to say that soup season is still here!

MEATBALLS:
• 1 pound of grass-fed ground beef (I used @snakeriverfarms ground beef)
• 1 egg, whisked
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
• 2 rounded TB parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp calabrian chili paste
• 1 TSP coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
• 1 TB fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper (or 1/4 tsp whole pepper, toasted and crushed)

SOUP:
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced celery (3 medium stalks)
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion (1/2 onion)
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (1-2 carrots)
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
• 8 cups of chicken stock
• 1/3 pound of fregola or orzo (or other desired pasta)
• One bunch of chard
• Handful of freshly Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving (or parm rind)
• Salt to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a sheet tray with non-stick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the meatball ingredients until just combined. Roll into golf ball sized meatballs – you should get about 30 meatballs. Place on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.

3. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter. Add you celery, onions, and carrots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Next, add your minced garlic cloves and red pepper flakes, and cook for about 3 minutes.

4. Pour in your chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the fregola and cook until package instructions for al dente.

5. Add the cooked meatballs to the soup, and allow the soup to simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the chard to the soup and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until the chard is just wilted.

6. Stir in the freshly grated pecorino and adjust seasoning as needed.

7. Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle each serving with addition pecorino and crushed red pepper flakes.