Good morning. It is frigid in Dallas today, and we woke up to a light blanket of snow. I know many of you are experiencing a heavy dose of winter, as well. The cold will stick around for a few days, so if you need something to warm you up, try this Italian Wedding Soup.
On New Year’s Eve, my friends and I took a cooking class at one of my favorite places in Dallas–the Cookery. It was my 6th (or maybe 7th) class there, and I am always blown away by the experience. Unlike other cooking classes, the entire group prepares a family-style meal together, and you eat it around a large dinner table. It’s like a cooking class/dinner party, and it’s just the best.
During this particular class, we made a delicious Italian Wedding Soup with mini meatballs. The flavor was spot on, but I knew that to make it weeknight-friendly (which is always my goal), I needed to make some adjustments.
By subbing the meatballs for Italian sausage and tweaking a few instructions, I achieved my goal. This soup is hearty and flavorful and exactly the kind of soup I love to make. I think you’ll agree.
If you want to save yourself some time, buy pre-chopped mirepoix: the technical term for a mix of onion, celery, and carrots, and a foundation for many delicious soups. Otherwise, make sure to chop your veggies to roughly the same size so they will cook evenly.
If you can’t find bulk Italian sausage at your butcher counter, you can use the link type and simply remove the casings. I like a little heat, so I prefer spicy Italian sausage for extra flavor.
Italian Wedding Soup
2 T olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage (regular or spicy; if your sausage comes in links, remove the casings)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
4 cloves minced garlic
2 t dried oregano
2 t dried basil
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
1 bunch Tuscan kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped (or 1 bag pre-chopped)
1 can cannellini beans, drained
1/2 -1 T salt (or to taste)
Lemon juice, to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 T olive oil and the Italian sausage. Break up sausage with a wooden spoon. Let sausage brown around 3 minutes and then turn and break up sausage until crumbled. Fully cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.
Add remaining 1 T olive oil to the pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt. Cook veggies for 4-5 minutes, or until onions are translucent and caramelization has formed on the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic, oregano, basil, and bay leaves and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not burn the garlic!
Add chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the cooked sausage, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Add kale and beans and continue simmering for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
