Many are familiar with and love Italian Wedding soup. This is my rendition. My favourite part of Italian wedding soup has always been the meatballs. In this version the meatballs are so delicious on their own and though they are only cooked briefly in the soup, they really add a burst of flavour. Another way to infuse deep umami (the fifth taste) into the broth is mushroom powder. Dried mushrooms are traditionally called for in Italian wedding soup, however they are very expensive where I live and I happened to come across dried shiitake powder at my local food co-op. Only 1/2 tbsp of it provides a superb depth of flavour to the broth. You can find Takii Umami Powder on Amazon as well.
Fennel. Many have never tried it. Personally I didn't grow up eating it as it just wasn’t available. I tried it as an adult and fell in love. Don’t worry if you don’t like liquorice, you will still love fennel. It only has a mild anise/liquorice flavour, mostly it is lovely and sweet when cooked, especially when combined with onions. When served raw it is bright and crunchy and the anise flavour is more prominent.
Why cook your noodles separately? When it comes to using GF or Paleo noodles in soups, I recommend cooking them separately and adding them to your individual soup portions just before serving. Gluten and grain free noodles, even if you add them right at the end of cooking end up breaking apart and turning to mush in soups. I know it is one more step to cook them separately but trust me, it makes such a huge difference in soups and stews.
Vegetarian Version: Sub firm tofu for the meat and use your hands to mix the tofu into the rest of the meatball mixture or use cooked brown lentils (about 2 cups) or use sautéed mushrooms in place of the meat and use 2 slices of bread in the mixture.
Baking powder? You may be wondering what is baking powder doing in meatballs. I learned this “trick” from America’s Test Kitchen. It makes the meatballs fluffy and silky.
Add olive oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and turn heat up to medium and add the onion and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add in fennel and garlic and shiitake powder(if using), stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine and turn up heat to medium high to cook off the alcohol, about 3 minutes.
Bundle fresh herbs with kitchen twine and add to your pot, along with chicken broth/stock. Cook over medium-low heat until fennel has softened, about 20-25 minutes.
For the meatballs: Pulse bread, onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor until they are broken down fine, being careful not to over-pulse into a paste. You can also chop fine with a sharp kitchen knife. Add ground meat, grated cheese, salt and pepper & baking powder and pulse briefly. Mix by hand if you wish. Form the meatball mixture into about 35 small meatballs and place on a wax paper lined tray and set in the fridge,
Add meatballs and kale and cook for another 3-5 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and kale is still vibrant green. Add chopped fennel fronds if available. Add desired amount of cooked noodles to individual servings bowls and ladle soup on top. Enjoy soup within 4 days or freeze (leave out noodles if freezing).
Ingredients
Directions
Add olive oil to a large soup pot or Dutch oven and turn heat up to medium and add the onion and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes. Add in fennel and garlic and shiitake powder(if using), stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine and turn up heat to medium high to cook off the alcohol, about 3 minutes.
Bundle fresh herbs with kitchen twine and add to your pot, along with chicken broth/stock. Cook over medium-low heat until fennel has softened, about 20-25 minutes.
For the meatballs: Pulse bread, onion, garlic, and parsley in a food processor until they are broken down fine, being careful not to over-pulse into a paste. You can also chop fine with a sharp kitchen knife. Add ground meat, grated cheese, salt and pepper & baking powder and pulse briefly. Mix by hand if you wish. Form the meatball mixture into about 35 small meatballs and place on a wax paper lined tray and set in the fridge,
Add meatballs and kale and cook for another 3-5 minutes until meatballs are cooked through and kale is still vibrant green. Add chopped fennel fronds if available. Add desired amount of cooked noodles to individual servings bowls and ladle soup on top. Enjoy soup within 4 days or freeze (leave out noodles if freezing).