Italian Wedding Soup
By America's Test KitchenPublished on November 4, 2012
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Broth
1 onion, chopped1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed4 ounces ground pork 4 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef 1 bay leaf ½ cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups beef broth 2 cups waterMeatballs
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces5 tablespoons heavy cream ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 4 teaspoons finely grated onion ½ teaspoon finely grated garlic Salt and pepper 6 ounces ground pork 1 teaspoon baking powder 6 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano 1 cup ditalini pasta ½ pound kale, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)Before You Begin
Use a rasp-style grater to process the onion and garlic for the meatballs. Tubettini or orzo can be used in place of the ditalini. It's unnecessary to temp the meatballs because they will reach a food-safe temperature if cooked according to the recipe instructions. (For more information on food safety, check out this guide.)
Instructions
- Heat onion, fennel, garlic, porcini, pork, beef, and bay leaf in Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook, stirring frequently, until meats are no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add wine and Worcestershire; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While broth simmers, combine bread, cream, Parmesan, onion, garlic, and pepper to taste in bowl; using fork, mash mixture to uniform paste. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat pork, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt on high speed until smooth and pale, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add bread mixture, beef, and oregano; mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Using moistened hands, form heaping teaspoons of meat mixture into smooth, round meatballs; you should have 30 to 35 meatballs. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
- Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Wipe out Dutch oven and return broth to pot. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Skim off fat before reheating.)
- Return broth to simmer over medium-high heat. Add pasta and kale; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs; return to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
for the broth
for the meatballs
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Broth
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
4 ounces ground pork
4 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
Meatballs
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons finely grated onion
½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
Salt and pepper
6 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1 cup ditalini pasta
½ pound kale, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Broth
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
4 ounces ground pork
4 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
Meatballs
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons finely grated onion
½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
Salt and pepper
6 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1 cup ditalini pasta
½ pound kale, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Broth
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
4 ounces ground pork
4 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
1 bay leaf
½ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
2 cups water
Meatballs
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 teaspoons finely grated onion
½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
Salt and pepper
6 ounces ground pork
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces 85 percent lean ground beef
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1 cup ditalini pasta
½ pound kale, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups)
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Traditionally, this Italian soup is built from a base of meaty brodo, a long-cooked broth made from the bones of meat and fowl. Wanting to skip the fuss of cooking a brodo all day, we looked to fortify commercial broths. We first started with a combination of chicken and beef broth, which mimicked the flavor of brodo. Into these broths we simmered a small amount of ground beef and pork to heighten the savory flavor. To further boost the meaty flavor, we added umami-rich porcini mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.
Before You Begin
Use a rasp-style grater to process the onion and garlic for the meatballs. Tubettini or orzo can be used in place of the ditalini. It's unnecessary to temp the meatballs because they will reach a food-safe temperature if cooked according to the recipe instructions. (For more information on food safety, check out this guide.)
Instructions
- Heat onion, fennel, garlic, porcini, pork, beef, and bay leaf in Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook, stirring frequently, until meats are no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add wine and Worcestershire; cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- While broth simmers, combine bread, cream, Parmesan, onion, garlic, and pepper to taste in bowl; using fork, mash mixture to uniform paste. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat pork, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt on high speed until smooth and pale, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add bread mixture, beef, and oregano; mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Using moistened hands, form heaping teaspoons of meat mixture into smooth, round meatballs; you should have 30 to 35 meatballs. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
- Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl or container, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Wipe out Dutch oven and return broth to pot. (Broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Skim off fat before reheating.)
- Return broth to simmer over medium-high heat. Add pasta and kale; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs; return to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and pasta is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
for the broth
for the meatballs
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