Italian Wedding Veggie Soup

This soup is a hearty and filling dinner. It is delicious as well as nutritious. Kids like it too. They get so excited over the mini-meatballs they hardly notice all the vegetables. It is a combination of classic Italian Wedding soup and minestrone, the best of both worlds. It adapts well to variations as long as a few rules are kept. You must have very good stock, extra lean beef, fresh veggies and a few fresh herbs. The last rule is patience which is relatively easy because you get to breathe in the tantalizing aromas through each stage of the preparation. It is a large recipe that can be easily doubled for even more leftovers for the freezer that come in handy for a quick dinner. Or, freeze in portions for a healthy take-along lunch. All that is needed here is some thick slices of good  Italian bread, toasted if you like.

Stock

2 quarts of bones. For this recipe you can use a mixture of chicken and beef.  Never discard leftover bones . They are indispensable for good stock.

8-10 chicken necks, wings and feet or a combo

1 onion sliced

Leftover veggie scraps

Dash or 2 of browning sauce
4 bay leaves

Salt

Lightly oil a roasting pan or large cookie sheet . Toss the ingredients to mix and slow roast until they turn a rich dark brown. Do not scorch. When done, place in a stock pot with 3-4 bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of parsley. Add a tablespoon , or less if need be , of whole black peppercorns, if desired. Add water to reach 3 inches above the ingredients and add hot water if needed to maintain that level throughout the simmering. 

HINT : We l use a 6 quart Crock pot . We set it on low and let it cook all night. By morning, it's ready to go. Minimum cooking time on the stove is 4 hours , but longer cooking will yield tastier results.

Soup Base
3 quarts of strained stock, you can add commercial stock if needed
3 stalks of celery, sliced
3 stalks of carrots, lightly scraped or scrubbed and sliced
1 medium white or yellow turnip, peeled
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
2-3 plum tomatoes ,  chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch of greens such as spinach, radish greens, Swiss chard, kale, dandelion, or a mixture of whatever you have. We have tried all and they all work well. We like to use up all our small amount of greens for this soup.
4 cloves of pressed garlic
1/4 cup each of fresh parsley and basil leaves processed with 1/4 cup of olive oil into a pesto

Place all the ingredients except greens, garlic  and pesto into a large pot. Add the stock making sure the veggies are covered completely. Cover tightly and simmer for 1 hour. Add the greens and garlic, cook 10 minutes more. While that's cooking, prepare the beef.

Meatballs

1 1/2 cups of very lean ground beef

1 medium egg

6 tablespoons of plain bread crumbs

2 tablespoons of minced onion

1 tablespoon of pressed garlic

1/2 cup of Parmesan or 1/4 cup Romano

1/2 teaspoon of oregano , or more if you like
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
Dash  of nutmeg and a couple of drops of Worcestershire for the cooking broth

Mix thoroughly. Using wet hands, shape into bite sized balls and drop into 4 cups of simmering water to which the Worcestershire and nutmeg has been added. Poach gently for 15 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and add to the soup. Add 1/2 cup very small soup pasta such as acini di pepe to the meatball broth.
Alternatively you may add cracked barley, whole wheat or other grain of your choice, but  these must be soaked in advance to avoid soaking up all the soup. Broth level should be kept at 4 cups.

Final Assembly

Add the meatball broth and pasta to the soup along with the peas. Cook for about 10 minutes or until serving temperature. Add 1 tablespoon of pesto and stir. Serve with  grated cheese and pesto at the table along with the bread.