Italian wedding soup is exactly what it sounds like. This soup radiates warmth and familiarity.
The term "wedding soup" comes from the Italian phrase "minestra maritata" or "married soup". Married Soup is a reference to the flavor produced by the "marriage" of the greens and the meat.
The meat is hearty and fulfilling, yet the broth is flavorful and light. This combination creates a delicious balance or a “happy marriage” within the dish.
30-45 minutes | Serves 4-6
Ingredients for Italian Wedding Soup
|
1 Egg 3 tbsp finely chopped Chives 2 tsp finely chopped Sage 2 minced Garlic Cloves ¾ lb Ground Beef 1/2 lb Italian Sausage ¾ cup Parmigiano Reggiano ⅓ cup Bread crumbs ¾ tsp Salt 1 diced Yellow Onion |
2 diced Carrots 2 diced Stalks of Celery 6 cups Chicken Stock 2 cups Beef Stock 2 cups Water ½ cup dry White Wine 1 Bay Leaf 1/4 tbsp Black Pepper 1 package of Dagostino’s Pastina Bird’s Eye Pasta 4 oz rough chopped Spinach or Kale (Stems trimmed off) |
Directions for Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Beat the egg in a large bowl
- Add the chives, sage, garlic, ground beef, sausage, ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, bread crumbs, and ¼ tsp of salt.
- Mix until fully combined.
- Divide mixture and roll into balls. Make sure they are about one inch in size.
- Place meatballs onto a non-stick or oiled pan
- bake for 17 minutes or until the heat can brown the meatballs
Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add onions, carrots, celery, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the chicken and beef stock, water, wine, bay leaf, remaining salt, and pepper to the pot
- Bring to a boil.
- Add the pasta into the soup and cook according to the package or until the pasta is tender.
- Lower the heat, and then add the meatballs and stir in the spinach or kale.
- Simmer for a couple minutes and top with parmesan cheese
Protip: To cut some calories in the recipe, replace ground beef for ground turkey in the meatballs. This replacement will also reduce the saturated fat in this dish.
Italian Wedding Traditions
Italian weddings have a lot of traditions that have been passed down through families for many years. There are very detailed traditions for each step of marriage, from the proposal to the reception...
In Italy, proposals are similar to the ones in America. It’s very traditional to propose with a diamond ring.
After the proposal, the bride to be will start to assemble what is called a trousseau. Her trousseau is a collection of items for her future home and husband. For a traditional Italian engagement the trousseau will include jewelry, money, and other items.
Family Heritage plays a huge role in planning traditional Italian weddings. Many things are passed down within families for weddings such as the bride’s dress, jewelry and veil. Veils are not as popular as they once were in America. However in Italy veils are still a big part of an Italian Bride’s ensemble.
Many wedding traditions in Italy are rooted in catholicism. Due to this, it’s traditional for weddings to take place in a church. These weddings are usually held on Sunday and start early in the morning with mass.
The most exciting part of any wedding is the reception, and Italian weddings are no different.
Receptions after Italian weddings are rather large affairs, with elaborate decorations, bountiful meals and entertainment.
Decorations usually include many flowers and ribbons. The flowers and ribbons are usually in colors that symbolize wealth, health and happiness. Sometimes the flowers and robbins are in colors specifically chosen by the groom and bride.
Bands will provide entertainment to wedding guests by playing traditional music to dance to.
Of course, no italian wedding is complete without a full spread of traditional meals. Dinners at these weddings usually include pasta dishes such as acini de pepe.
Grilled meats like lamb and beef are served as well as seafood dishes. Of course, Italian wedding soup is a popular appetizer to serve at weddings.
All the guest tables will include breads, cheeses, butter, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, wines, prosecco and salad.
You will never find yourself hungry at an italian wedding.
About Dagostino Handmade Pasta
From Lemons to Premium Pasta...
Our founders, the Fresina Family, were some of the original lemon farmers in Sicily during the early 19th century. During that time, Sicilians created settlements in New Orleans as citrus traders and brought pasta with them on their voyage. The Fresina Family felt right at home in Louisiana which led to The Fresina Macaroni Manufacturing Company being born in 1926. This began the foundation of 3 generations of hard-work and implementing traditional Italian methods to create handmade pasta that is now Dagostino Pasta.
We continue to stick to our Italian roots by producing our pasta the old-fashioned way right here in New Orleans. Our centuries-old delicate method consists of small quantities of pure semolina pasta cut through bronze, carefully looped over wooden rods, straightened and the air-dried in wooden cellars. We are dedicated to preserving our family traditions and Italian customs for many more generations to come.
Every pure artisan pasta deserves to be paired with a delicious sauce. Dagostino has some of the most authentic sauces available outside of Italy. Our fresh herb and spice blend is unique, preservative free, and all handmade in small batches. We pride ourselves for our ingredients being all-natural and preservative free, providing you with premium artisan pasta and tasty sauces to enjoy.
You will experience our time-honored family treasure in every meal.