This Italian Wedding Soup recipe is a play on an Italian favorite, and you don’t have to be either Italian or at a wedding to enjoy this one! Subbing out the traditional meatballs with Italian sausage adds a nice depth of flavor that helps marry the greens and Parmesan notes of the soup. This soup is relatively simple to make, but as with most things Italian, quality is going to matter here. Any way you look at it, this Italian Wedding Soup with Italian Sausage is sure to be a winner!
Italian Wedding Soup with Italian Sausage
Italian Wedding Soup. With Italian Sausage.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 12 cups Low Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Quality matters here; if you have homemade, use it here!)
- 1 shallot
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 lemons
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 thick Parmesan rind
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 ounces short cut pasta
- 4 ounces baby kale or escarole
- 1 pound bulk sweet Italian Sausage
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
- Chop the shallot and lemon into quarters (reserving some lemon for later garnish). Smash the garlic.
- In a slow cooker or instant pot set on high/simmer, pour in the stock. Add in the shallot, lemon, garlic, black pepper, Parmesan rind, a handful of parsley, and bay leaves. Cook on high for at least 4 hours.
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, draining 2 minutes shy of the recommended time. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set aside.
- 20 minutes before the stock is ready, make the meatballs. Form the sausage into 1/2 ounce balls (about a centimeter wide). In a wide sauté pan set over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, brown the sausage on all sides, 7-8 minutes.
- Finish the soup: strain out the soup into a large bowl or other appropriate vessel. Discard the stock solids and return the broth back to a simmer. Once simmering, add in the greens and sausage and simmer for 4-5 minutes along with a pinch of salt. Once the greens are wilted, the soup is ready. Serve in a wide bowl with a bit of pasta on the bottom, topped with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Enjoy!
