MammaMiaRecipes.com

Winter and spring is soup season so we hope you have been enjoying some of the great Italian soup recipes we have been adding for you to try. Most of the Italian soups we grew up were not chunky so no hearty steak and potato at our house. We had Lentil Soup, Little Ball Soup (Pastine) and Italian Wedding Soup which has gained some notoriety as a result of Restaurant chains like East Side Mario’s. This soup contains a little pasta, some broth and mini meatballs and is a unique blend not typical of North American soups. Here is our version of  Italian wedding soup…buono appetito

Ingredients

1 cup(s) orzo or Mamma prefers to use pastine Molisana or little ball soup
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound(s) fresh chicken sausage, casings discarded and meat rolled into 20 1-inch meatballs
(the original recipe calls for beef/pork meatballs in the soup… here is Mamma’s recipes for authentic meatballs you can use instead)
1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped
6 cup(s) low-sodium chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Read more…

Ingredients

1 package lentils

Directions

Boil lentils until soft. Allow them to remain in pot with water.

Add oil to frying pan, heat and saute chopped Spanish onions, add pepper, salt to taste.

Add contents from frying pan to pot with boiled lentils and cook for additional 30 minutes.  Serve and Mangiare!

4 tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 cups green beans (fresh and washed)
1/2 cup potatoes
1/2 cup kidney beans (if using fresh beans soak them overnight first)
1 tbsp basil
salt
pepper
celery leaves only
zucchini flower tops

Directions:

• Add 1/4 cup olive oil and garlic to cooking pot.
• remove tomato core and blend in mixer, add blended tomatoes to cooking pot and Saute.
• add vegetables (beans, celery leaves, zucchini flower tops, potatoes) to pot and mix.
• Add 1 tbsp basil. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover with lid and simmer. Do not touch for about 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Optional: add 1/2 cup spaghetti noodles (Mamma breaks them in half). 3 cups chicken broth.

Mangia … enjoy.

This soup is quick and simple to make and is a favorite with all the children (and adults).

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) Pastine (Mamma uses la Molisana 64.Peperini)

6 cups (1500 ml) water

Directions:

• Cook half way or partially cook the little balls of pasta (10 minutes).

• Strain water. Add 6 cups of fresh water to the pastine.
• Bring to a boil again, add 1-1/2 cubes of chicken boullion or equivalent chicken broth.
• Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until tender.
• Serves 6