Italian Wedding Soup

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 slice soft bread (about ¾ cup fluffed bread crumbs)

2 tablespoons water

½ lb ground beef

½ lb ground pork

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese ( fresh if possible)

1 egg

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 large carrots (peeled and chopped)

2 ribs celery (sliced)

1 medium onion (finely diced)

1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but add nice flavor)

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 Parmesan rind (optional but delicious!)

1 cup small pasta (I used ditalini, but orzo or anything very small will work about 90 grams)

2 cups fresh chopped spinach

Directions

Homemade Meatballs

Tear bread into small pieces and place in a food processor (a blender may work). Process until the bread is in fine crumbs, and combine it with water. Stir and let sit for a few minutes. (*If you do not have a food processor, you may also mash the bread with the water until it is in fine crumbs).

In a large bowl, combine beef, pork, cheese, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and soaked bread until just combined — don't overmix!

Shape into 1" balls (I get about 30-35) and place on a plate.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stock pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. They do not have to be cooked through. Set aside. (*OPTIONAL: you can also bake the meatballs if you do not want the juices in the soup -- see instructions below)

Italian Wedding Soup

When you've done browning the meatballs, remove all from the pot.

Add the carrots, celery, and onion (no need to clean out the pot!) and cook in the leftover fat from the meatballs for about 5 minutes or until softened.

Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, bay leaf, and pepper flakes if using. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in chicken broth and Parmesan rind and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.

Stir in the uncooked pasta and meatballs. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, then cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Stir in spinach and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 421 kcal
• Total Fat: 21 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 89 mg
• Sodium: 720 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 33 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 26 g