Ina Garten's Italian Wedding Soup

By Hapemom

Had this version of Italian Wedding Soup last night at Bunko ...the meatballs were done the day before, and then the soup was finished up in a Crock Pot, making it easy to prepare. Topped with fresh spinach - looked and tasted amazing!!! Now I'm headed to the store to get the ingredients. :)

Ingredients

• MEATBALLS:
• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic, about 2 cloves
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• SOUP:
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 cup minced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced carrots, about 3 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup diced celery, about 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

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the meatballs: place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.

With a teaspoon, drop 1" to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup: 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.