Stracciatella Soup with Mini-Meatballs
Since the groundhog saw his (her?) shadow, I figure we're in for a lot more cold and nasty weather (don't even get me started about our ride back from Canada Sunday night--let's just say I'm lucky to be able to be here writing this) so I will be cooking up pots and pots of soup because what's a freezing and hungry girl to do?!! Honestly, I'm so over winter already, but I can never get tired of eating soup, especially this one, with all its different flavors and textures. Truthfully, I'm one of those weird people who happily slurp up the stuff even on the steamiest of July days, but that's a whole other story and really, the contents of this soup are much more interesting!
Sweet carrots and baby spinach? Present and accounted for! How about adorable little starry pastina? Yup, got that too. What about a generous amount of deliciously flavorful mini-meatballs that float about, just waiting to be gobbled up? Plus a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan? Running to get that soup pot now?!!
And as if that weren't enough, delightful little shreds of tender beaten eggs wend their through every spoonful (that's the stracciatella part) and gives this Italian-style soup, a decidedly Asian egg drop sorta feel. If you're the type that has a tough time deciding between wonton and egg drop, this meal-in-a-bowl soup, full of the best of everything, is for you!! Make a pot today and the contemplation of weeks and weeks of winter won't seem so bad!!
Stracciatella Soup with Mini-Meatballs
Makes at least 6 servings
Prep Time: About 30 minutes, plus a little more cooking time
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 quart (32 ounces) low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup pastina
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2-3 ounces baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 large eggs
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
For the Mini-Meatballs
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 handful chopped fresh parsley
- 1 small onion, minced
The Recipe
1. Into a large pot, place the chicken broth, water, pastina, parsley, carrots and spinach and bring to a low boil.
2. Meanwhile make the meatballs. In a medium bowl, use your hands to gently mix together the beef, 1 egg, bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese, parsley and onion. Form small meatballs and place them on a plate. When soup is boiling, drop them into the soup and let cook for about 5 minutes, until entirely cooked through.
3. Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a small bowl and use a large spoon to stir the soup constantly as you slowly pour in the beaten eggs, so that they start to form little shreds. Cover the pot and let stand 5 minutes. Serve immediately with additional grated Parmesan.
4. This soup can be made ahead and reheated. You can also double the meatball mixture and make a few larger ones and bake them in the oven or sauté them in a skillet in a bit of oil. It's often hard to find a 1/2 pound package of beef and I find that if I cook a few extra meatballs, they always have a way of disappearing!!
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Eat This...It'll Make You Feel Better by Dom DeLuise. I tinker with this a lot and you can definitely add more veggies if you like or leave out the meatballs entirely and just have a simple Italian veggie egg drop soup.
