Italian Wedding Soup

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (+ more for serving)

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pepper (to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

2 sticks celery (chopped)

3 medium carrots (peeled & chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

8 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup uncooked acini de pepe pasta (or orzo)

1 (5 ounce) package fresh baby spinach (see note)

Directions

Add the breadcrumbs and milk to a large prep bowl. Using a fork, mash together until smooth. Add in the remaining meatball ingredients. Mix together, using your hands, taking care not to overwork the mixture. Form 1" meatballs (about 1 tablespoon each, making 40-45 meatballs). Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet or a couple of large plates.

Prep the soup ingredients. Add the olive oil to a soup pot or Dutch oven, and heat it over medium-high heat until the pot is HOT (important so the meatballs don't stick). Sear the meatballs in two batches for about 5 min/batch until they're nicely browned on the outside. They will finish cooking in the soup. Transfer meatballs to a plate once seared.

To the soup pot, add the onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 7-8 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add in the broth, Italian seasoning, and meatballs. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Once the soup is boiling, add in the pasta. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, pot uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the spinach, let it wilt, and season the soup with salt & pepper if needed. Serve with extra freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of bowls if desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 439 kcal
• Total Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
• Trans Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 101 mg
• Sodium: 1984 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 22 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 22 g