Italian Wedding Soup

Sometimes the name says it all. And sometimes, it’s only half the story. Such is the case with Italian Wedding Soup (minestra maritata).

Many would suspect that Italian Wedding Soup would have something to do with weddings; however, it has more to do with the marriage of meat and vegetables. The soup is associated with Naples, Italy, where it was a peasant dish made with leftover meat (if it was available) and green or bitter vegetables in a broth.

This hearty, healthy soup is a great soup for the cold days ahead. The following recipe is an outline; take some chances and use what vegetables and meat you have around to switch it up.

Italian Wedding Soup

Print Recipe

Course Dinner

Ingredients

2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. chicken thighs
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 white onions
2 cloves garlic
3 celery ribs
3 carrots
3 bay leaves
8 cups water
1 head escarole
1 cabbage (mix or two of the same)
1.5 lb. kale (mix or two of the same)
1 lb. chicory
1 lb. chard

Instructions

Make the broth – place chicken thighs, Italian sausage, ground beef, garlic, celery, carrots, and onions in the pot.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for at least 4 hours.
While your broth is cooking, prep the other vegetables. Parboil them in salted water and set aside to cool.
When broth is ready, remove the meat with a straining spoon.
Bone the chicken and cut the sausage into pieces.
Add parboiled vegetables and meat back into the pot.
Bring to a boil and serve hot.
Top with parmesan cheese.

This article has been written by homeschooling staff writers of The Canadian Schoolhouse (TCS). Enjoy more of our content from TCS contributors and staff writers by visiting our Front Door page that has content on our monthly theme and links to all our content sections.