Italian Wedding Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1 pound 80% ground beef
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
For the rest of the soup
1 cup diced carrot
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 cup minced onion
8 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup small pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
8 to 10 cups chicken broth
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Steps
Add 1 pound of 80% lean ground beef to a bowl
Add 1 egg, ½ cup of breadcrumbs, ½ cup of finely grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
Use your hands to combine all the ingredients together until thoroughly incorporated
Pinch a small section off of the meat and use the palms of your hands to roll the meat into a small round ball
Continue rolling out evenly sized small meatballs with the meat mix placing the meatballs on a parchment paper lined tray
Bake the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes
Remove the meatballs from the oven and allow to cool
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large soup pot
Add 1 cup of minced onion, 1 heaping cup of diced carrot, and 1 cup of cut up celery
Stir and saute the vegetables over medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened
Stir in 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
Pour in 10 to 12 cups of chicken broth
Allow the broth to come to a rapid boil and then add 1 cup of uncooked pasta to the soup and allow the pasta to cook until al dente according to the packaging directions, stirring in between
Season the soup with some crushed red pepper to taste
Transfer all the cooked and cooled meatballs to the soup and stir
Following add 8 ounces of freshly chopped spinach
Stir the spinach with the soup until it is wilted and combined
Ladle some soup into a small bowl, sprinkle some more grated parmesan cheese on top, and enjoy!