Grandma's Escarole Chicken Bread Ball Soup Recipe

Grandma would use chicken or even the leftover chuck roast beef bone from a leftover Sunday sauce whatever she had leftover in meat made it's way into a pot of soup! Grandma had to be very frugal as money was tight in those days. She passed away in 1975 at the age of 92!

6 to 8 boneless chicken legs, thighs or breast

5 quart saucepan

1 cup of acini de pepe pasta (boiled  in salted water seperately)

2 cups great northern white bean drained and rinsed or use freshly made as these are pictured

1 cup finger carrots

1 bunch escarole chopped washed and boiled for 1/2 hour to make sure all dirt particle are out, drain and set aside. I only use escarole in my soup.

NOTE:  Use greens preference (you can use any greens you desire, kale, spinach etc..)

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 fresh plum tomatoes pulsed in food processor left a little chunky or 1/2 cup leftover Sunday sauce
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, basil and oregano
1/4 teaspoon each of thyme and rosemary
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
grating cheese for garnish

Fill pot with water around 3 1/2 quarts, add chicken and boil skimming off the top as it cooks. When broth is clear around 30 minutes of cooking time, remove chicken off the bone, cool, cut up in chunks, put back in the pot. Add escarole, herbs, spices, tomatoes, rest of vegetables and boil till tender. When the soup is a full boil, drop raw bread balls into boiling soup.  Add boiled pasta at the end.

Meatball mixture for soup:

In a bowl mix below ingredients together and set aside
1/2 cup of  Italian flavored breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grating cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Mix all together and drop small raw balls,  into soup while boiling.

+claudia lamascolo  Author