Momylia's Kitchen - Italian Wedding soup

 

This was my first time making this soup and I loved it. I followed the recipe from EvolvingTable. I doubled the recipe.

Ingredients

*Meatballs

1 pound  ground beef

1 pound mild Italian ground pork sausage

1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

2/30cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 large egg beaten

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 garlic cloves finely minced

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Olive oil

*Soup

Olive oil

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

6 medium carrots, peeled and diced

6 celery ribs, diced

6 garlic cloves, finely minced

16 cups chicken broth

2 cup small pasta, such as acini de pepe pasta, Orzo or Ditalini. (I used Ditalini this time)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, plus more for serving

6 cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions

1.Chop parsley and mince garlic. 

2. Add the ground beef, Italian sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl. Mix until well combined. I ended up using my hands to mix. 

3. Shape the meatballs by scooping out about 2 teaspoons of the mixture and use your hands to roll it into a meatball. Continue until all meatballs are formed.

4. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a drizzle of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add some meatballs, don't overcrowd the pot. Cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes, or until the balls are lightly browned on all sides. Transfer meatballs to the paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all of the meatballs are cooked.

5. Slice and dice celery, carrots, and dice onion. 

6. To the same pot you used for the meatballs, add a little olive oil. Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, or until tender. Add garlic and continue cooking for  about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.

7. Add in chicken broth and be sure to scrap bottom of pot for browned bits. Tur heat up to bring soup to a boil.

8. Once soup is boiling add the pasta gradually while stirring to avoid clumping. The add in the salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and meatballs. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the pasta is tender, about 7-9 minutes.

9. Coarsely chop spinach

10. Toss in the spinach and stir until well mixed. Cook 2-3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Serve and enjoy!!