Italian Wedding Soup

The Italian wedding soup I am used to is green, has little meatballs and some pasta in it. My wife recently found another version with 3 kinds of leaf vegetable in it.

Italian Wedding Soup

1 head of escarole, washed, core removed

1 head of chicory, washed, core removed ***substitute spinach leaves if unavailable

1 head savoy cabbage, washed, cored and cut into eighths

2 19oz. cans cannellini beans, undrained

¼ cup olive oil

4-5 garlic cloves, peeled

¼ lb. pancetta, chopped (bacon also works here)

1 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 28 oz. can whole Italian plum tomatoes, hand crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of dried oregano ***a tiny bit of fresh oregano from your garden is good as well

Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Separately boil the escarole, then the chicory and cabbage for a few minutes each. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve 5 cups of the water to use later in the soup.

Heat the oil in the pot you will use for the soup. A large dutch oven works well. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the pancetta and brown. Add the sausage and cook until done. Puree one can of the cannellini beans and add to the meat in the pan. Bring to a rapid simmer and add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables, the other can of beans and reserved water. Return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve topped with freshly grated cheese.