The term “wedding soup” is a mistranslation of the Italian minestra maritata, which is a reference to the fact that green vegetables and meats go well together (“married”). I am not sure that in Italy they actually serve such a soup at weddings. However, I will say that the marriage of meatballs, pasta, vegetables and flavor makes this soup a dish that my family loves any night of the week. It is a great twist on the classic American-Italian meatball and spaghetti dish that kids will devour!
Kosher Italian Wedding Soup
Servings
4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoon fresh basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- A pinch of black pepper
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 stalk celery sliced
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
- 2 cans whole roasted tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ lb. pasta small shells or spirals
- 1 lb. ground meat I use a combo of beef and turkey for less fat
- ¼ cup bread crumbs you can use ½ cup cooked brown rice for a healthier twist
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon Jamaican allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- 1 In a frying pan, sauté the onions in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add all the spices and mix well; sauté for another minute. Add the carrots and celery to the onion mixture and mix well again; let the carrots and celery cook for about 4-5 minutes while stirring occasionally. 2 Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker. Using a wooden spoon, make sure to scrape out the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock, mixing the onion mixture with the stock. Add the whole tomatoes and the sugar, and with a wooden spoon or a fork, roughly break up the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces inside the soup. 3 Set the slow cooker on high. 4 While the soup is cooking, make the meatballs. 5 In a large mixing bowl, combine all the meatball ingredients. Using a spoon or with your gloved hands, combine the ingredients and then form small meatballs (a little bigger than bite sized). 6 Drop the meatballs into the cooking soup. Cover the soup and let cook for 2-3 hours. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, add the pasta. 7 Serve hot.
- As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine (Bitayavon Summer 2012) – Subscribe Now.
you state 2 cans of whole roasted tomatoes, how many ounces should each can be? Also, in the photo, it looks like you browned the meatballs maybe in the frying pan first before dropping in the soup. Is this the case as it does not state to do this in the directions. Thanks!