There are not many recipes from my Grandmother are she wrote down. In fact some of the recipes she has written down can be found in four different versions. Every Thanksgiving at my mom’s house, Grandma B would make her version of Italian Wedding Soup. Although she did not call it that, it appears to be similar to recipes I have seen. Basically this is a chicken soup with Ricotta Meatballs. These moist balls of meat and cheese just melt in your mouth with hot soup. Make extra, you are going to want to freeze them for the winter months. Can’t wait for you to try this Comforting Italian Wedding Soup with Ricotta Meatballs .
Whether you make your chicken stock from scratch or not, you need a good chicken broth for this Grandma B’s Italian Wedding Soup with Ricotta Meatballs. We used an organic chicken broth but the choice is yours. To feed 6 people we used 10 cups of broth and 25 meatballs. You can make these meatballs ahead and freeze them, or make them while your chicken soup in cooking. I love to make big batches of soups in a Dutch Oven.
To make these Ricotta meatballs, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
Using a small cookie scoop, shape your meatballs and place on a tray lined with parchment. If not using immediately, cover and place in fridge or freezer. If freezing, allow them to freeze completely then place them into a freezer bag, just like you would freeze cookie dough.
My Grandma’s chicken soup recipe was not exact but I will tell you that even using a pre made broth, I sautéed a half of onion and 3 cloves of garlic for added flavor. We used 4 carrots, sliced and 4 celery stalks and half of a 10 oz package of spinach in our recipe. You can use the whole package of spinach I was not sure how my kids would like it if it was too green.
Chopped fresh Parsley is added after the veggies are all cooked, it takes about 40 minutes but you can test them after 30.
With the soup boiling, you add your Ricotta Meatballs and allow them to cook for 15 minutes. They will start reaching the top.
Serve immediately with some crusty bread for a wholesome and hearty soup.
Chicken soup warms the soul and this Version of Grandma B’s Italian Wedding Soup with Ricotta Meatballs brings back great memories!
The kids loved the ricotta balls in the soup. I was not sure how they would react. You want to serve anywhere from 4-5 per bowl.
Grandma B’s Italian Wedding Soup with Ricotta Meatballs
Italian Wedding Soup with Ricotta Cheese Balls
A wonderfully light chicken soup with melt in your mouth ricotta meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Cups 1 lb Ricotta Cheese
- 1 C 1/2 lb Ground Turkey, pork or veal
- 1/2 C Bread Crumbs
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Chopped Parsely
- 1/2 C Grated Parmasen Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together and make small meat balls. Freeze on cookie sheets and then put in freeze bag until needed. When ready to use place frozen meal balls in boiling Chicken Noodle soup and cook 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6Amount Per Serving Calories 258Saturated Fat 8gCholesterol 125mgSodium 182mgCarbohydrates 9gProtein 19g
This looks gorgeous and the meatballs look mouthwatering!
Mmm, those ricotta meatballs sound so good! Chicken soup is exactly what I need right now in this gloomy, cold Michigan weather. Thank you (and your grandmother) for the recipe!
An amazing traditional recipe. The old ones are the best. I bet this is so comforting and tasty
I love old family recipes and Grandma B’s Italian Wedding Soup is no exception! The flavourful ingredients in the meatballs are wonderful. I agree, good chicken stock is integral to a good soup.
I love Italian wedding soup! We always add lots of fresh greens and some pearl couscous to ours. I’ve never tried making meatballs with ricotta before – I bet they are very light and fluffy.