This soup is so delicious and....it's healthy! Growing up I had a bestie named Christie Orme. I was very close to their family and spent as much time as I could over there. I had two moms growing up, my mom and Kathy Christie's mom. I'd like to think that I have taken great things from both of them, and incorporated it into the type of mother I am. Christie's mom used to make us delicious snacks..such as her yummy popcorn, I now make that for my daughter and she loves it. She used to make a soup very similar to this one, and I would make sure I was over there when she was making it! I found a recipe and incorported what I could remember from Kathy's, and came up with this one. I made it for my family and they loved it. It has such great memories attached to it.I'm really not sure why I am just barely getting around to making it. It is a homemade soup that is healthy and it really isn't alot of work. It is a crockpot recipe also,so you can set it and walk away or go to work. My family loves peasant bread so I paired it with that. I will also post that recipe. The peasant bread recipe is easy,and not alot of ingredients.
Italian Wedding Soup
Serves 6-8
Soup ingredients:
2/3C carrots, sliced
2/3C celery, chopped
3/4C onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 pkg onion soup mix
7 1/2C chicken broth
6oz baby spinach, chopped
1 1/2C pasta
Meatball ingredients:* (see note)
1lb ground chicken you can also use ground turkey
1/4C Parmesan cheese
1/2C seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes* (see note)
1 egg
Add prepared vegetables, seasonings, onion soup mix and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare meatballs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all ingredients, shaping small meatballs. Place meatballs 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Set aside.
Add meatballs to slow cooker in the last hour of cooking. When 30 minutes remain, add chopped baby spinach and pasta. Gently stir and replace cover.
French Peasant Bread
1 pkge dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 Tbls sugar
2 Tsp salt
4 cups flour
Cornmeal
Melted butter
Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead:). Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Flour hands, and remove dough from bowl and place in 2 rounds on an oiled cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rise an additional hour. Brush the top with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temp to 375 degrees and cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with butter again with butter. Serve warm.
