Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 lb ground pork

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

3/4 tsp salt

Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 celery ribs, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

8 oz assorted mushrooms, sliced

4 cups chicken broth

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 cup pastina, uncooked

2–3 cups fresh spinach

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Remove the ground pork from the refrigerator 15 minutes before mixing. Gently combine all meatball ingredients until just incorporated — do not overmix. Roll into 3/4-inch balls. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meatballs on all sides, about 2 minutes per batch. They will finish cooking in the soup. Remove and set aside.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and butter to the pot and cook over medium heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer.

3. Add the meatballs and pastina and simmer gently until both are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the spinach. Let stand until wilted, about 2 minutes.

4. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.