Although it’s unseasonably early to be experiencing this, I feel like “back to school season” is already upon us. You know those Scholastic Book Fair types of days? High 60’s to low 70’s temperatures, gloomy skies, a sudden urge to throw open the windows and toss on your favorite light-knit sweater? Those are the kind of days I cherish…and the ones that are perfect for a gloomy day soup.
As a devout fall lover, this quick turnaround time on summer has never been a foreign concept to me. I was one of those kids who lived for the changing leaves and pumpkin patches (and yes, I cracked open the first Halloween catalogue that showed up in our mailbox in July…and usually had my costume picked out by the next week).
With all of that being said, whether or not you subscribe to the “early fall hype”, there’s still a lot to get excited for with this stretch of cloudy days. In one of my earlier posts, I targeted rainy days specifically and talked about my favorite cozy activities and meals to make (check it out here!), but this time around, it’s all about the gloomy kind of weather where you just want to curl up with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea. The evening wouldn’t be complete without the BEST kind of soup though, so I bring to you: Italian Wedding Soup with homemade chicken stock! It’s light, comforting, and absolutely exploding with flavors from the stock. The addition of tiny, bitesized meatballs, spinach, and a pasta of your choice really bring the soup to another level – it’s that good!
P.S. Check out our latest clip on the broth –> wedding soup process!
About the soup…
Today we’re obviously featuring Giada de Laurentiis’s Italian Wedding Soup as a means to enjoy this incredible chicken stock, but there are so many more soup recipes out there that can be wildly enhanced by a great base. Picture your favorite classic chicken noodle soup when you’re feeling under the weather…now picture it with this broth. The possibilities are endless!
Now grab that cup of tea and relax while you enjoy this gloomy day soup process.
Homemade Chicken Stock
Ingredients
- 3 5-lb roasting chickens (whole chickens)
- 3 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
- 6 carrots, unpeeled and halved crosswise
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds crosswise
- 4 parsnips, unpeeled and halved crosswise
- 20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 15 sprigs fresh thyme
- 20 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns (not ground)
Instructions
- Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 4 hours, skimming off any foam that comes to the top. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids.
Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 8 oz ground beef
- 8 oz ground pork
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Soup
- 12 cups homemade chicken broth (or low sodium, if using boxed)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lb spinach
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To Make the Meatballs
- Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.
To Make the Soup
- Bring the homemade broth (or boxed, if preferred) to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and spinach and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the spinach is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.
One Comment