Italian Wedding Soup.jpg — Italian Wedding Soup with Cheesy Chicken Sausage Meatballs

**By Chadwick Boyd**
PHOTO BY BROOKE SLEZAK

Chicken Noodle Soup, Dressed for an Italian Wedding

Growing up, my Uncle Bob used to make his family's famous Italian Wedding Soup. My cousin passed the recipe on to me several years ago, and I love to revisit its soulful flavors and share with family and friends at holiday time. This soup is inspired by my uncle's traditional recipe, using Garden Fresh Gourmet® Chicken Noodle with Kale Soup as a base. The meatballs are easy to make, and they are full of flavor from the chicken sausage and turkey mixed with a good amount of Romano cheese.

Chadwick’s Checklist

What you need to know before you cook.

Have a bowl fready or mixing meatballs, and a medium skillet for sautéing them, in addition to a medium saucepot for warming soup.
Your kale should be chopped into spoon-sized pieces. Whole parsley leaves work wonderfully, too.

SERVING SIZE: 8 PREP TIME: 10 mins TOTAL TIME: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 24 oz. containers of Garden Fresh Gourmet® Chicken Noodle with Kale Soup
½ pound chicken sausage, casings removed
½ pound ground turkey
½ cup grated Romano cheese + more for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh kale (or Italian flat leaf parsley)
Salt and pepper as desired

Directions

Place the Garden Fresh Gourmet Chicken Noodle Soup with Kale in a medium sauce pan and heat on medium-high about 10-12 minutes. Let simmer on low until ready to serve.
Place the remaining ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix together very well using a fork.
Using clean hands, roll the meat mixture into small ½" meatballs. Place them on a small cookie sheet.
Heat a large skillet on medium high. Place the meatballs in the skillet and brown 10-15 minutes. Stir every few minutes to ensure even cooking.
Ladle the soup into small serving bowls. Drop 4-5 meatballs into the center of the bowl. Garnish with more Romano cheese as desired. Finish with the chopped kale.
Serve immediately.