Escarole Soup

Escarole Soup. An Italian thanksgiving tradition that has been in our family forever is escarole soup with mini chicken meatballs for thanksgiving. It’s a simple dish but it’s super delicious and it’s tradition…and you can’t break tradition, you know?! So close to thanksgiving guys !! How are you preparing ?!

Tomorrow is thanksgiving eve, one of my all time favorite days of the year. I am taking off work and getting started on all the cooking we have to do. I seriously can’t believe how quick this year has gone. It literally feels like it was thanksgiving 2020 just yesterday, but here we are.

And today, we are excited to share our Italian tradition of escarole soup. Every year this is how we start the thanksgiving dinner. It has become more of an appetizer lately in an attempt to save room for the rest of the food. And believe me, I definitely try to save room for the rest because the sides are my all time favorite.

But this soup is still super delicious. It is my brother’s favorite and honestly I love it because it brings back so many childhood memories and I love traditions.

Happy…almost…thanksgiving guys !! Hope you’re all as excited as I am !!

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Ingredients

• Mini Chicken Meatballs

  • 5 slices of white sandwich bread; torn into small pieces

  • 1/4 cup of whole milk

  • 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

  • 2 jumbo eggs

  • 1 1/2 pounds of ground chicken

  • salt and pepper

  • 1/2 cup of dried breadcrumbs

• Fried Bread Croutons

  • 6 slices of white sandwich bread

  • 4 eggs; scrambled

  • 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

  • salt to taste

  • 1/2 cup of canola oil

• Soup

  • 2-3 quarts of homemade or store bought chicken stock

  • 1 head of escarole; chopped

  • 1 1/2 pounds of mini chicken meatballs

  • 1/2 pound of egg noodles; homemade or store bought

  • Fried bread croutons

Directions

• Mini Chicken Meatballs

  • In a large bowl, add the bread, milk, eggs, and cheese, Stir to combine. Mix in the ground chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Continue stirring and add the dried breadcrumbs.

  • Roll mini meatballs and transfer to oiled parchment paper. Set aside.

• Fried Bread Croutons

  • Mix the egg, cheese, and salt in a shallow bowl.

  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet. When very hot, dip the bread in the egg mixture and add to the skillet. Fry on each side until golden. Drain on paper towels. Cut into cubes.

• Soup

  • Heat the chicken broth until boiling and add the escarole. Continue boiling and add the meatballs. They will rise to the top when they are cooked.

  • Cook the noodles, drain, and add to the soup. Serve topped with fried bread croutons.