Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• 8 oz lean ground beef
• 8 oz ground pork
• 1/2 cup fresh hearty white bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
• 1 large egg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 cups 1/4-inch diced carrots
• 1 1/4 cups diced yellow onion
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced celery
• 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 1/2 Tbsp
• 5 cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup dry acini de pepe or orzo pasta
• 6 oz fresh spinach, chopped
• Finely shredded parmesan, for serving

Directions

1. Make the meatballs first: place the beef and pork in a large bowl, then scatter in the bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, parmesan, egg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Use your hands lightly to loosen and combine everything without packing it down. Roll the mixture into petite balls, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch across, and set them on a large plate.
2. Warm 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook half the meatballs in the skillet, turning them now and then so they take on color on 2 or 3 sides, about 4 minutes altogether. Move them onto a paper towel-lined plate, keeping the oil in the pan. Brown the remaining meatballs the same way; they are not meant to be fully done yet, since they will finish cooking in the soup.
3. Start the soup while the meatballs are cooking. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the carrots, onions, and celery, and cook until they begin to soften, about 6 – 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and bring the pot to a boil.
4. Stir in the pasta and the browned meatballs, then lower the heat so the soup stays at a gentle boil, about medium or medium-low. Put the lid on and cook, stirring from time to time, until the pasta is tender and the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the spinach during the final minute of cooking. Ladle the soup while warm and finish each bowl with parmesan cheese.
5. For the bread crumbs, bread like a La Brea french loaf works well. Pulse a slice in a food processor to make crumbs. The rest of the bread can be served alongside the soup with butter, of course, or frozen for later.
6. For a soup with more broth, use 3/4 cup pasta instead. The pasta will keep soaking up liquid as the soup stands, so add more broth if you want to loosen it.