Italian Wedding Soup

Let's Cook

1. 1Prepare the Meatballs

   In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, beaten egg, and grated parmesan with a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Mix with a fork or your fingers only until no dry white crumbs are visible — the mixture should feel tacky and hold together when squeezed, not sticky enough to smear. Overworking it makes the meatballs springy and tight. Roll into 1-inch balls, roughly the width of a walnut, and set them on a plate. You should get about 24. If the mix sticks badly to your palms, wet your hands with cold water.

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   Roll the meatballs smaller than feels right — they swell in the broth, and anything larger than an inch takes longer to reach 165°F than the orzo takes to cook.

2. 2Sauté Aromatic Vegetables

   4 min

   Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the minced garlic and diced carrot and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often. You are waiting for the garlic to smell sweet and nutty rather than raw and sharp, and for the carrot to turn a shade darker with slightly rounded edges. If the garlic starts browning at the rim of the pot, pull the pot off the heat for a moment — scorched garlic turns the whole broth bitter.

3. 3Cook the Meatballs

   5 min

   Add the meatballs to the pot in a single layer, spaced apart so they are not touching. Leave them alone for about 2 minutes; when they release from the pot without tearing, turn them. Brown 5 minutes total, until most sides show a tan crust. They will still be raw inside at this point. Pour in the chicken broth, scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon, and bring it to a gentle simmer — small bubbles breaking only around the edge of the pot.

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   If your pot is narrow, brown the meatballs in two batches. Crowded meatballs steam in their own juices instead of forming a crust.

4. 4Add the Orzo and Escarole

   10 min

   Stir in the orzo and cook 8 to 10 minutes at that same gentle simmer, stirring every couple of minutes so the pasta does not weld to the bottom. The orzo is done when a grain squashes easily against the roof of your mouth with a faint firm center. Meanwhile the meatballs finish cooking through: check the largest one with an instant-read thermometer, which must register 165°F (74°C). Cut it open if you have no thermometer — no pink should remain and the juices should run clear.

5. 5Serve and Enjoy

   2 min

   Add the chopped escarole in the last 2 minutes. It collapses fast, going deep green and limp while the thicker stem pieces stay slightly firm. Season with the remaining salt and black pepper, tasting as you go, since parmesan and broth both carry salt already. Ladle into bowls, spooning 3 or 4 meatballs into each, and pass extra grated parmesan at the table.

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   Eating in shifts? Cook the orzo separately and spoon it into each bowl, so the pasta left in the pot doesn't soak up all the broth.