Pasta Fagioli Wedding Soup

Pasta Fagioli Wedding Soup

The Meatballs

• 8 oz ground beef (85/15)
• 8 oz ground pork
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion (grated or blended into a puree)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup parm (freshly grated)
• 1/4 cup parsley (chopped)
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

The Soup

• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 1 medium onion (finely diced)
• 2 carrots (peeled and finely diced, ends discarded)
• 2 celery stalks (finely diced, ends discarded)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine (I like sav blanc)
• 1/2 cup passata (or a small can of diced tomatoes is fine)
• 8 cups chicken bone broth
• 2 15 oz cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 parmesan rind
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 oz pasta (ditalini, small shells)
• 4 cups broccoli rabe (chopped, woody stems removed)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (from one lemon, zested first)
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For Serving

• Lemon zest
• Fresh basil
• Parm
• Fruity EVOO

1. Make the meatballs. To a large bowl, add all the meatball ingredients and mix by hand until everything is well incorporated. Don’t mix more than necessary, it will make the meatballs tough. Roll into ½” meatballs and place evenly spaced apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you get the soup going.
2. Cook the aromatics and the tomato paste. To a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is warmed through and shimmering, add the diced carrot, celery and onion and a big pinch of salt and stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, then add the garlic and red pepper flake and cook another minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Make a space in the center of the pot and add the tomato paste. Press the paste down and cook for a minute to start to caramelize, then stir it all together and continue cooking for another couple minutes.
3. Finish the soup. Add the wine and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated, then add the passata (or diced tomatoes), bone broth and beans. Use an immersion blender to pulse-blend the soup a bit – you’re not trying to completely blend the soup, just break up some of the beans and veg to add some more body. Alternatively you can add a few scoops of the soup to a stand blender and add the pureed soup back in. Add a parmesan rind and a couple bay leaves, then bring to a low simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the center of the oven. Take the meatballs out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap.
5. Cook the meatballs, pasta and greens. Put your meatballs in the oven and roast for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the parmesan rind and bay leaves from the soup pot and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed, then add your pasta to the pot to start cooking. When the pasta is half done cooking (according to the pasta package), add the chopped broccoli rabe and meatballs (which should be done by now) and stir to combine. Add the lemon juice, then taste for seasoning and adjust – more salt, lemon, spice? Add now!
6. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated parm, lemon zest, fresh basil and a drizzle of fruity EVOO. Enjoy immediately!

To make sure the meatballs are seasoned correctly, add some salt and pepper and mix, then cook a small amount in a pan. Taste, then add more seasoning if you’d like before rolling them all into balls! 

• Also I don’t open a 1lb package of meat and not use the whole thing so I doubled the meatball recipe and rolled the other half into larger meatballs and froze them. Meal prep, baby! 
• When calculating calories for this recipe, I accounted for about half the wine I actually used. This is because we reduced the wine down a lot, and when you reduce, a lot of the alcohol burns off (and thus, the calories). Might end up with less than half the calories, but just rounding up or whatever. 
• Nutrition does not include any toppings, but they’re just gonna make it better! More nutrients, more protein, and fruity olive oil is the fricken JAM, for real. 

Micronutrient Highlights

91% vitamin K, 29% vitamin A, 27% selenium, 25% iron, 22% vitamins B3 + B6, 20% vitamin B2 + potassium, 19% calcium, 17% vitamin C, 16% phosphorus, 15% vitamin B1

Main Course, Side DishItalian