Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients

• For the Meatballs1large egg½pound ground beef½pound ground pork½cup Italian bread crumbs or panko⅓cup grated Parmesan3tablespoons chopped fresh parsley2large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon) 1teaspoon dried oregano1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)½teaspoon black pepperOlive oil, for forming the meatballsFor the Soup3tablespoons olive oil1large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)3medium carrots, diced (about 2 cups)2 to 3large celery ribs, diced (about 1½ cups)2large garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper8cups (2 quarts) chicken broth, plus more as needed½cup acini di pepe, ditalini or orzo3cups packed baby spinachGrated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

1. Step 1Make the meatballs: Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat it lightly with a fork. Add the beef, pork, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly, until incorporated. Coat your hands with olive oil, then form small meatballs using 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture per meatball; transfer to a plate or sheet pan. You should have about 80 (1-inch) meatballs.
2. Step 2Make the soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in 2 batches, turning occasionally, until mostly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Step 3Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt (or 2 teaspoons if you’re using low-sodium broth) and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Step 4Return the meatballs to the pot, add the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the pasta, lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Step 5Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. (The broth should taste pleasantly salty.) Serve hot, topped with Parmesan. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits; you may need to add broth when reheating. Soup will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer (see Tip).

Tip

References

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024492-italian-wedding-soup