Chicken Escarole Soup with Meatballs

Name: Chicken Escarole Soup with Meatballs
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 24 servings (6 qt.)
Ingredients: 15 chicken wings; 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 large potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 4 celery ribs, sliced; 1 large tomato, seeded and diced; 1 large onion, diced; 3-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided; 1 teaspoon pepper; 4 quarts water; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese; 1/2 pound ground beef; 1 small head (about 5 to 6 ounce) escarole, cored and separated

This is an old recipe from southern Italy. My mother gave it to me when I was first married. It started out as a holidays-only dish...but my children and grandchildren love it so much that we have it every chance we get!—Norma Manna, Hobe Sound, Florida

Ingredients

15 chicken wings
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 celery ribs, sliced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 large onion, diced
3-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper
4 quarts water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound ground beef
1 small head (about 5 to 6 ounce) escarole, cored and separated

Directions

In a stockpot, combine wings, carrots, potato, celery, tomato, onion, 1 Tbsp. salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until chicken and vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, for the meatballs, combine egg, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, cheese and the remaining salt in a large bowl. Crumble beef into mixture and mix well. Shape into marble-sized balls.
Remove chicken meat from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard bones. Return chicken to the pot. Add meatballs and escarole; cook until meatballs are no longer pink, about 10 minutes longer.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup: 115 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 33mg cholesterol, 402mg sodium, 7g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 1g fiber), 9g protein.

Originally published as Chicken Escarole Soup with Meatballs in Country Ground Beef

Reviews

My Review

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Average Rating:

Alex

Feb 18, 2019

The 5 stars are for my doctored recipe. This recipe is actually pretty bland, but it has the potential to be great. I immediately recognized there was something off about the vegetable to liquid ratio in this recipe. For better results, double all of the vegetables in the soup except for the onion. Add a clove of garlic to the soup and use chicken stock instead of water. Triple the amount of escarole (trust me, it's worth it), and double the meatball recipe. This recipe also has a serious lack of seasonings. Add garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, dill, a pinch of celery seed and some Lawry's seasoning salt. Also, add more fresh parsley to the soup. This is one of my absolute favorite soups to make. If you make these amendments to the recipe, you won't go wrong!
LegalSec

Feb 13, 2012

This soup was pretty bland and I even added garlic to the broth and extra Watkins chicken broth powder. I too used spinach instead of the escarole. Don't think I'll make this one again unless I spice it up more.
mojomo

Jan 24, 2011

This is alot like the Italian Wedding Soup, but I use spinach instead of escarole. I have even mixed both greens.