Italian Wedding Soup Sandwich
After I made the Italian Beef Sandwich into a soup, someone suggested I make Italian wedding soup into a sandwich. I have been making sandwiches into soups and vice versa since the beginning of this website, so I was excited by the idea. I actually thought I had done it before, so I looked into the archives but couldn’t find anything.
These came out really fun and I think the tiny meatballs were the key. I debated adding couscous but I think the bread was perfect as the starch of the meal.
It’s all about the tiny baby meatballs. Definitely the most important part of the recipe.
Blanch the meatballs in chicken stock, and we will use that stock later as a sandwich dip. love a good dipper sandwich.
Escarole is the usual green in Italian wedding but it’s kinda boring and doesn’t really bring much to the table. I swapped it for broccoli rabe which is already established as a fantastic sandwich green and adds a lot of flavor. I cooked it up in some olive oil with lots of garlic.
Clear out the middle of the baguette and add some provolone, then the greens. Next add in all the meatballs.
People who brag about large meatballs are dumb. I would rather have 30 tiny meatballs than 1 huge one. Take your ball of meatloaf and go home.
The broth tastes so good with all the meatball juices in there and the sturdy baguette is the perfect bread for dipping.
Italian Wedding Soup Sandwich
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Sandwich
- 2 cup chicken stock
- olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large bunch broccoli rabe stems removed, leaves torn
- 2 baugettes
- 8 slices provolone
- grated parm
Instructions
- Mix the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix until really well combined. Form tiny meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Bring the stock to a boil. In batches, Cook the meatballs for about 3 minutes in the broth until cooked through. There are plenty of meatballs, so feel free to open some to make sure they are cooked and snack on them as you go.
- Add some olive oil to a pan over medium heat and add in the garlic. Cook 1 minute and add in the broccoli rabe. Stir and cook 2 minutes until wilted and reduced in size. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cut the baguettes into sandwich sized pieces. Cut the top off the baguette and scoop out a lot of the inside. (NOTE: you technically could use this part for the meatball breadcrumbs but I made the meatballs early and didnt want the bread to get stale)
- Warm the bread in the oven on low. Add the cheese to the bread, then the broccoli rabe. Next load it up with meatballs. Add some parm on top.
- Serve the sandwiches with a half cup of the broth you cooked the meatballs in.
