I loved Italian Wedding Soup from the moment I first tasted it, but it wasn't until I tracked down a recipe that I realized why its broth tasted so good. The secret, unsurprisingly, is cheese: by simmering the meatballs in the soup–rather than browning them elsewhere–the entire dish takes on the wonderfully pervasive taste of parmesan. The three other key ingredients are just as yummy: small meatballs, tiny pasta–always go with acini di pepe ('peppercorns') if you can just because they're so cute–and leafy greens. And if you're wondering what exactly this soup has to do with weddings, the answer isn't what you think. The name actually comes from a mistranslation of minestra maritata, which refers to the soup's well-paired ingredients and not actual ceremonies of union. 

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Ingredients

For soup:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 onions, chopped

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

64 oz reduced sodium chicken broth

1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to remove excess water

3 oz acini de pepe pasta

salt and pepper, to taste
 

For Meatballs:

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup grated parmesean cheese

5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil.  Add the chopped carrot, onion, garlic, celery, and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, stir, and increase heat to high.

2. In a medium mixing bowl combine the ground beef, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, cheese and basil. Add salt and pepper. Mix ingredients and form into small balls of a consistent size, about 1/2 inch wide.

3. Once soup has come to a rapid boil, gently add meatballs into pot. Allow to boil for 5 minutes (do not stir). Turn heat to low and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

5. Add the spinach and pasta and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup with grated parmesean cheese and crusty Italian bread.