Italian wedding soup got its name from the Italian phrase si sposono bene, meaning that two things are well married. The marriage of the greens and meat in clear broth is such a delightful combination that it was widely described as si sposono bene, hence the English name “Italian wedding soup.” Historically, the soup actually had nothing to do with weddings in Italy, but has become a very popular tradition at Italian weddings in the United States.

There are hundreds of variation on the recipe, but the soup usually contains greens such as spinach, escarole or broccoli rabe; meatballs that might include chicken, turkey and beef; and orzo in a chicken broth.

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• 1 chopped carrot
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 chopped celery
• 2 ounces of ground meat (or ground veggie burger can be used)
• 1 egg
• 1 sprig of chopped parsley

Direction:

• Bring chicken stock to a boil. Add the chopped carrot, celery and onion and lower heat.
• Combine ground meat or veggie burger, egg, and parsley. (The consistency of the mixture is slightly loose.)
• Drop in small pieces of the meat mixture, not much larger than a Tablespoon. (making tiny meatballs.)
• Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, 5 -7 minutes. It is ready when the little meatballs float to the surface.

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