Recipe: Italian Wedding Soup

I've been sick all week with a bad cold and have had one thing on my mind (besides sleep...and soft tissues): soup!!  So, last night I ventured into the kitchen to try out a new recipe for my all-time favorite soup: Italian Wedding!  It was a hit...and we'll have leftovers for a few days!

For the Meatballs: (Recipe from the kitchen of Maryellen Aland)

• 1 lb of veal pork and beef (it comes in a pack of 3)
• 1 egg beaten
• 3/4 c breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3/4 c grated pecorino romano cheese
• 2 tbsp parsley 

Mix all ingredients together.  Form mini-meatballs with your hands.  Fill bottom of pan with oil and cook through on each side until they darken fully. (Note: I made the mini-meatballs with about one-half to three-quarters of the meat, and made regular meatballs to freeze with the rest!)

For the Soup: (Recipe from Ina Garten) 

• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 10 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.

(Images from Unsophisticook, Sticky Goey Creamy Chewy)