Crafting Wedding Noodles: A Step-By-Step Guide To Perfection

Wedding noodles, or Italian wedding soup, is a hearty dish that combines meatballs, vegetables, and pasta in a savoury broth. It is a perfect meal for a cold day and a great way to get kids to eat their veggies. The name comes from the Italian phrase minestra maritata, which means married soup, referring to the marriage of flavours in the dish. Making wedding noodles is a simple process that involves creating the meatballs, sautéing vegetables, and simmering everything together in a broth.

Meatballs: Combine ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, basil, and onion powder

To make the meatballs for your wedding noodles, you'll need ground beef, an egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, basil, and onion powder. Start by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing them until they are evenly distributed. You can use your hands to gently mix and break up the mixture.

Once combined, it's time to shape the mixture into meatballs. They should be small, around 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter. Place the meatballs on a plate or tray. If you're making them in advance, you can store them in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to cook them.

When you're ready to cook, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in batches and cook until they are browned on all sides, turning them occasionally. This should take around 4 minutes total. Transfer the cooked meatballs to a plate lined with paper towels, and repeat with the remaining meatballs.

Now, you can add the meatballs to your wedding noodle soup! They will continue cooking in the soup until they are cooked through.

Broth: Use chicken broth or alternatives

The broth is the base of your wedding soup and will be the heart of the flavour. Chicken broth is the most common choice for Italian wedding soup, but you can also use beef broth or vegetable broth.

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth is a versatile option that works well with the other ingredients in wedding soup. It has a mild flavour that won't overpower the other ingredients, and it's readily available in most grocery stores.

Beef Broth

Beef broth will add a richer, more robust flavour to your wedding soup. If you opt for beef broth, consider using beef or a combination of beef and pork for your meatballs to enhance the flavour.

Vegetable Broth

Vegetable broth is a good option if you want to make a vegetarian or vegan version of wedding soup. It has a lighter flavour that won't overpower the other ingredients. You can also enhance the flavour of vegetable broth by adding some white wine to the soup.

Making Your Own Broth

You can also make your own broth from scratch if you want to customise the flavour to your taste. Making your own broth allows you to control the amount of salt and other seasonings, and you can use leftover meat and vegetables to create a flavourful base.

Tips for Using Broth

• If you're using store-bought broth, look for high-quality options with minimal added ingredients.
• You can also fortify store-bought broth by adding extra vegetables and seasonings to enhance the flavour.
• Don't be afraid to experiment with different types of broth to find the one you like best. You can even combine different types of broth to create a unique flavour profile.
• Remember that the broth will be the foundation of your soup, so choose an option that complements the other ingredients and suits your taste preferences.

Vegetables: Include escarole and carrots, or spinach

When making wedding noodles, it's important to include a variety of vegetables to add colour, flavour, and nutritional value to the dish. Here's a detailed guide on including escarole, carrots, and spinach in your wedding noodles:

Selecting and Preparing the Vegetables:

• Escarole: Look for escarole heads with crisp, green leaves. Remove any wilted outer leaves, and rinse the escarole thoroughly. You can chop the escarole into thin slices or rough chop it, depending on your preference for texture.
• Carrots: Choose firm, bright-coloured carrots with smooth skins. Peel the carrots and chop them into thin slices or small cubes. Carrot slices will give a rustic look to your dish, while cubes will provide a more uniform appearance.
• Spinach: Opt for fresh spinach with vibrant, deep green leaves. Rinse the spinach thoroughly and remove any thick stems. You can chop the spinach, but it's not necessary as it wilts quickly during cooking.

Cooking the Vegetables:

• Sautéing: In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, escarole, and any other vegetables (such as onions or celery) you wish to include. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
• Boiling: If you're adding pasta to your wedding noodles, you can boil the vegetables along with the pasta. Simply add the chopped escarole, carrot slices or cubes, and pasta to a pot of salted boiling water. Follow the pasta package instructions for cooking time, ensuring the vegetables don't overcook and become mushy.
• Simmering: After sautéing or boiling your vegetables, you can continue building flavour by simmering them in a broth. Chicken broth is a popular choice, but you can also use beef broth or a combination of both. Add the broth to the pot and bring it to a gentle boil. This will cook the vegetables further while infusing them with flavour.

Remember, you can adjust the amount of each vegetable to suit your taste preferences and the overall balance of your wedding noodles. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables as well to make the dish your own!

Pasta: Use orzo or similar small pasta

Italian wedding soup is a versatile dish, and you can use any small pasta you have to hand. The recipe traditionally calls for orzo, but you can use other small pasta shapes such as ditalini, acini de pepe, or even Israeli couscous. These tiny pasta shapes work well in soup as they are similar in size to the meatballs and other ingredients, and they also give the soup a hearty, comforting texture.

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta, and it works well in soups as it is small and cooks quickly. It is often used in Italian dishes and is a good option for Italian wedding soup. However, if you don't have orzo, there are plenty of alternatives. Ditalini is a small, short tube-shaped pasta that is often used in soups, and acini de pepe are tiny balls of pasta, similar in size to orzo. If you can't find these varieties, Israeli couscous or pearl couscous can also be used, giving a similar texture and mouthfeel to the soup.

When adding the pasta to your Italian wedding soup, it is best to cook it separately first. Boil the pasta until al dente, and then add it to the soup. This ensures the pasta doesn't overcook and that it doesn't absorb too much of the broth. By cooking it separately, you can also control the amount of pasta you add to each bowl, depending on personal preference.

If you are making a large batch of soup to freeze, it is also best to store the pasta separately. This will ensure the pasta doesn't absorb all the broth during storage. You can then cook fresh pasta when you are ready to eat the defrosted soup, or simply add the defrosted soup to the cooked pasta.

Seasoning: Add salt and pepper to taste

The key to making delicious wedding noodles is to season them to your taste preferences. This can be achieved by adding salt and pepper, enhancing the flavour of the dish. Here are some detailed instructions on how to do this:

Firstly, gather your ingredients, including salt and pepper. You can use a combination of different types of salt and pepper to suit your taste. Ensure you have measured out the correct quantities of each ingredient for your recipe.

When preparing the broth, taste it occasionally to determine if it needs more salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning accordingly, adding small amounts at a time to avoid over-seasoning.

After adding the pasta and meatballs, you can taste the soup again to check the seasoning. Add salt and pepper, a pinch at a time, until you are happy with the flavour.

Remember, it is easier to add more seasoning than to take it away, so start with a small amount and gradually increase until your taste buds are satisfied.

Finally, once you have adjusted the seasoning to your preference, give the soup a final stir to ensure the salt and pepper are well incorporated. Serve the wedding noodles warm, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and enjoy the delicious, seasoned dish!

Frequently asked questions