I’ve been to many Italian weddings in my life and I have NEVER been served this soup! So how did this name come about? That was the exact conversation my Sister- in- law Jennie and I had on the phone the other day. So I decided to do a tiny bit of research and came up with this… Somewhere along the way, the name Minestra Maritata got mis-translated.
The literal translation is “married soup” which in this case, refers to the ingredients, which are a perfect “marriage” of the meat and greens in the soup.
That sounds logical, doesn’t it? If any of you have a little trivia on Italian Wedding Soup, I would love to hear about it. Now on with the recipe!!
First of all I want to say, that there are many, many variations of this soup, I just prefer a little more color, so I add some tomatoes and carrot to mine.
INGREDIENTS
Your favorite Italian meat balls with lots of Romano cheese in them and made tiny, of course
About 6 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 onion
1 big carrot or 2
1 cup of orzo pasta
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 cups of kale, escarole, or chard (shredded) more if you want!
1 small can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Get your nice heavy soup pan out, then take the garlic, carrot, onion, and saute in a little butter.
Next throw in broth and tomatoes.
I like my broth clear so I don’t put the uncooked meatballs right in my soup pot just yet. I separately put them in another pan with some extra broth and softly cook them, so this way there is no foam in my soup. When they are mostly cooked through I scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them right into the big pot! The result is a nice clear broth!
After it’s been simmering for a while, I throw in my greens, which in this case was chard, and my 1 cup of orzo.
Also, if you have any leftover rinds of Romano or Parm, this would be an excellent time to use them.
Buon appetito!!!!!
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
Anonymous, Hi, It’s the outer rind of a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano, I save them up and sometimes put a piece in a pot of soup, it’s even eatable after you trim it all up.
What is the big white lump that looks like a dumpling on the left side of the bowl?
Hi Susan, You’re right, nothing warms you up better than a hot bowl of soup on cold day. Thanks for stopping by!
Valli,I always wondered why it was called that, I think it sounds reasonable too.
Today it is -2 Celcius so this soup would be perfect for a cozy stay in. I often wondered it this soup had been served at weddings in the past, but a marriage of flavours sounds reasonable. Thanks for straightening me out!
Gosh that looks so delicious and perfect for a cold, wintry day. (Milan is chilly these days…)
Lorraine, All you need is some crusty bread and you’re good to go!
Maryann, I figured you made something similar, there’s so many variations…they’re all good!
Thanks Kevin, it’s pretty easy to make too!
Sorry V, your Dad ate it all! I’ll make some more soon. And don’t worry you got your stuffing!!!
See, this blog is going to get you in trouble mom.
I did not get any of this soup. AND it is my all time favorite soup that you make.
I am mad now. You better make it up to me in Focaccia bread stuffing on Thanksgiving 🙂
Nice looking soup, full of both colour and flavour.
Oh yes, Marie, I do make this. Sometimes, it’s just meatball and escarole in a chicken broth and sometimes, for special, we put everything in it, just like you did! As Lisa said, that bowl is so pretty and your photos are really nice too 🙂
I love this kind of soup, so warm and fulfilling!! I’ve never actually made this recipe but have heard of it!! I might try it this week!!
Hi Stacey and welcome! I put the dry orzo right in the broth after it’s been simmering for a while and almost done, it cooks fast and you don’t want it to blow up to much. Thanks for visiting!!!
Maryann, thanks, have you ever made this? or anything like it?
Kristen, Thanks for your kind words!!
Lisa, Thanks for your comments! The bowl was a gift from my sister-in-law, and this was the first time I used it! I think the name of the soup is cool now too, after knowing it means the “marriage” of the ingredients. Thanks again fo visiting!!
Oh, and I’ve done a little research on the “married” name, as well. I read just what you did, that it refers to the marriage of the ingredients. Whatever the case, it’s a cool name!
I’m just crazy about this soup. I’ve only made it myself once—must make it again soon, as yours looks so beautiful.
What a lovely bowl, too! Really sets the soup off.
Perfect marriage, indeed. Looks fantastic!
Great soup, Marie!
I LOVE this soup! Thanks for the trivia and the great recipe!
Question- do you put the cup of orzo in the soup already cooked, or put it in dry and let it cook in the broth?
I need to try this. It looks delicious!
You’re welcome Jenny, and thanks again for visiting!!
Wow,
That soup looks incredible! Soup is one of my all time favorite things to cook. Thanks for the great recipe!