Some of my best recipes come from random cravings I get. This recipe is actually my impetus for finally starting this blog that I’ve been considering doing for ages. I did a great job the first time I made it, and when I posted a picture of it on Instagram, my very Italian friend Erin replied with a tweak to it that her family does. A few weeks later I got a nasty cold, and the only thing that sounded good to me was this soup. And oh my goodness, her tweak made it SO MUCH BETTER. And more keto, to boot. So here I am, finally sharing the recipe with the world.
The first time I made this, I made it on the stovetop, and it’s doable, but the magical Instant Pot makes it a lot better. The chicken ends up with a much nicer and softer texture. You’ll want to start out by putting the Instant Pot on saute. When it heats up, add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil. When the butter melts, you’ll want to add 10 ounces of a mirepoix mix, otherwise known as diced celery, carrot, and onion. My grocery store makes a premade version of this that saves a ton of time. If you’re doing it yourself, you’ll want about 2 ounces of diced carrots and 4 each of diced celery and onion, as carrots can get a little high in carbs if you go nuts with them. Saute the mirepoix, adding a pinch or two of kosher salt a few minutes in, and cook until the onions start getting translucent. The carrots won’t be done yet, but they’ll cook more later. Remove them from the pot and set aside in a small bowl.
Add 8-10 cups of chicken stock to the pot, depending on how brothy you want it. Throw in a large (6-8 ounce) chicken breast. Seal the lid and cook under high pressure for 15 minutes, then allow for a natural release. When the chicken is done, add the mirepoix back to the pot, set the pot for saute again, and put the chicken in the bowl the mirepoix was in.
While the chicken is cooking, you’ll want to make the meatballs. Start with a pound of 80/20 ground beef–the added fat makes a difference in the final dish. Add one egg, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, a teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, and however much cracked black pepper you want. Mix it until it’s a uniform texture, and then begin the tedious process of making a billion slightly larger than marble-sized meatballs. This is what they’ll look like when they’re done (hand for scale because I don’t eat bananas).
After that comes Erin’s addition. Lightly beat two eggs in a medium-sized bowl, then mix in parmesan cheese until it’s a thick paste. I ended up using 1.25 cups of cheese. Set that bowl aside.
By this point, the chicken should be close to finished. So get the mirepoix back in there, take the chicken breast out, and bring the broth back to a boil. At that point, start dropping in the meatballs, one by one, taking care not to drop them all in the same part of the pot so they don’t stick together. Then drop small spoonfuls of the egg and parmesan paste directly into the parts of the pot where there are the most bubbles from boiling. They will end up breaking up and making delicious little eggy cheesy bites all through your soup. Shred the chicken breast, put it into the soup, and test the broth for seasoning. I’ll usually end up adding a teaspoon or so of salt here, as well as several grinds of pepper. Let it continue to simmer while you work on the last step.
Most of the recipes I’ve seen for keto wedding soup call for cauliflower rice in them. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me some cauilflower rice, but it doesn’t really mimic the texture of the acini di pepi pasta that normally goes in wedding soup, and it adds a weird flavor. What works perfectly in this case is Miracle Rice! Yes, the maker of your favorite shirataki noodles also makes a rice version, and the shape is little pearls just like the pasta in wedding soup. Two bags is plenty. I prepare these by rinsing them thoroughly in a fine mesh colander, then heating them in a non-stick skillet until the liquid dries up. This usually takes about five minutes. Once they’re dry, the odd odor should be mostly gone. Put them in the pot, then turn the heat off and add 5 ounces of baby spinach, stirring until it’s wilted. This will make enough for two people to eat it for lunch for the entire work week, but make sure it all gets finished, because it doesn’t freeze well at all.
Erin’s Keto Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 10 oz mirepoix mix See notes above
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8-10 cups chicken stock See notes above
- 1 large chicken breast 6-8 ounces
- 1 lb ground beef 80/20
- 3 large eggs
- 1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- .5 tsp garlic powder
- .5 tsp onion powder
- black pepper to taste
- 2 bags Miracle Rice See notes above
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat your Instant Pot to saute. Add olive oil and butter and allow butter to melt. Add your mirepoix mix (see detailed instructions above if you can't purchase this pre-made) and saute until the onions become translucent. Remove and place into a bowl.
- Add the chicken broth and chicken breast to the Instant Pot, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, using the natural release function.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the meatballs by mixing together the ground beef, egg, 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, teaspoon of salt, onion and garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Form the mixture into marble-sized meatballs (see picture above for scale) and set aside.
- Beat two eggs in a medium bowl and add the remaining parmesan cheese until it makes a thick paste. Set aside.
- When the chicken is finished, add the mirepoix back to the Instant Pot and remove the chicken breast, putting it in the same bowl the mirepoix was in. Turn on the saute function of the Instant Pot and bring the broth and mirepoix mixture back to a boil. Put the meatballs into the pot, one by one, making sure to not put them in the same place in the pot so they don't stick together.
- In the still-boiling soup, add small spoonfuls of the egg and cheese mixture directly into the bubbles.
- Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- As the soup continues to simmer, drain the Miracle Rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse thoroughly. Heat over medium to medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet until it's dry. Put it into the Instant Pot.
- Add the spinach and turn off the Instant Pot. Allow the residual heat to wilt the spinach, then serve.
- Macros, counting 8 cups of broth and 6 ounces of chicken: 282 calories, 4 grams net carbs, 20 grams protein, 19 grams fat.
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