Inspire by my traditional thanksgiving stuffing this recipe brings holiday flavors in a warm, brothy bowl is like an Italian wedding soup meets fall comfort. 

Meatball Ingredients

Ingredients

• ½ lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• ¾ lb ground chicken
• 2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup milk 🥛
• 1 beaten egg 🥚
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 🌿
• 3–4 garlic cloves, minced (optional but adds great flavor)
• Salt & black pepper, to taste

Mix everything together and make 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs (this will make about 45 meatballs) place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when ready and set aside. 

Soup Ingredients

(4–6 servings)

• Your baked chicken + Italian sausage meatballs (already cooked at 350 °F on parchment)
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2–3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, diced (add an extra carrot if you skipped the squash)
• 3–4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth (plus more if needed)
• 1 cup stelline pasta ⭐️
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 spring of sage
• 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
• Olive oil, salt & black pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan + chopped parsley or rosemary for serving

Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics
   Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook 5–7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Build the broth
   Pour in the chicken broth. Add rosemary and sage. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
   Simmer for about 10–15 minutes to let the flavors deepen and the veggies soften.
3. Add the baked meatballs
   Gently drop your pre-baked meatballs into the simmering broth. Let them heat through for 10 minutes, uncovered or partially covered, so they soak up some of that broth flavor.
4. Cook the stelline
   Stir in the stelline pasta according to instructions, stirring often to prevent sticking.
5. Add spinach
   In the last 1–2 minutes of cooking, stir in the chopped spinach until wilted and bright green.
6. Turn of the heat and add the cream mix well and serve.
7. Finish & serve
   Remove the rosemary and sage. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary remember yow will add Parmesan at the end.
   Ladle the soup into bowls with a few meatballs per serving. Top with grated Parmesan. Serve with toast and if you like heat serve 🌶️Calabrian chili on the side. Enjoy!💫