Italian Wedding Soup

Temperatures are cooling off and of course the dreaded cold/flu virus that seems to be unescapable finds its way into your house to wreak its havoc on any unexacting passerby. Thats exactly what has happen to my little family and the only thing that sounds good to my poor sickly husband is soup...italian wedding soup that is. And there is only one recipe that I turn to when making italian wedding soup...Ina Gartens. This soup is dang good and seriously satisfying, especially on a cold winter day or in this instance on a sick day when all you want is a soothing, comforting bowl of soup to help heal your aches and pains.

Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:

Meatballs-

3/4 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, beaten

salt and black pepper

Soup-

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

10 cups chicken broth

1/2 dry white wine (If you are uncomfortable cooking with wine you can substitute additional chicken broth)

1 cup small shell pasta

1/4 minced fresh dill

8 ounces baby spinach

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To prepare your meatballs place ground meats, panko, garlic, parsley, parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. Drop 1-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper; making about 40 meatballs. Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

To prepare the soup heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large stock pot. Add onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and wine and bring to a boil. Add pasta to the simmering broth and cook an additional 6-8 minutes, until 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 spinach and cook for 1 minute, until spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and enjoy!