Italian Wedding Soup I

"After reading everyone elses reviews this is what I did to make the best Italian wedding soup I've EVER tasted. First I used about 7 cups of broth. 6 cups of chicken broth, 1 can of beef broth. The ..." See morebeef broth DEFINITELY adds that extra punch this soup needs. Definitely only use 1/2 cup of orzo, and boil in a seperate pot. I threw some green onions in. With the 7 cups of broth, it was enough for 4 people, + 1 days leftovers, which you'll definitely want! Next time I'll bake the meatballs before hand to get some of the grease off."

"My late grandmother came from the Old country, and I've used this recipe as a basis for replicating her recipe, but a few adjustments are critical. First, the pasta must be cooked separately; otherwi..." See morese, it thickens and ruins the soup. If you don't plan on leftovers, the pasta can be cooked in the soup, but you need to go easy on the amount of pasta. She always preferred alphabet pasta. Second, she always used either ground turkey or chicken for the meatballs. Also, you need to take it easy on the spices in the meatballs because they can easily overpower the milder flavor of poultry. (By the way, why would anyone use ground beef in a chicken stock--it doesn't make sense, not to mention it isn't authentic.) Third, she used celery in her recipe. I add a couple of stalks, finely diced. I also up the amount of carrots. Finally, for an added touch, she always had hard-boiled eggs available for individuals to add, as they chose. It enriches the flavor and texture. This recipe is very good--with these few tweaks. Thanks for sharing it."

"I made a few changes to this recipe: - Reduce pasta to 1/2 cup (You can use orzo, small shells, ditalini, orecchiette...) - Brown meatballs in a little olive oil and drain before adding to soup. (Giv..." See morees meatballs better color and flavor, and makes soup less greasy!) - I increased carrots to 1/2 cup, and sauteed with 1/2 cup onion in a little olive oil to start. I always saute vegetables in soup pot first, before adding broth. (Again, better flavor.) - I use spinach or escarole; both are yummy!"