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Italian Wedding Soup
Melissa Hart

Italian Wedding Soup

Small meatballs are the point here; golf balls turn a brothy soup into a knife-and-fork exercise. Brown them first so they hold together in the crock. The pasta and spinach join at the end, when both can stay recognizable.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 90-percent lean ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt plus 1 tsp for the soup
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 2 cups sliced carrots
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 oz acini di pepe pasta
  • 5 oz baby spinach

Method
 

  1. Mix the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper just until combined and roll into 32 one-inch meatballs.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs in 2 batches for 5 minutes, turning gently.
  3. Place the meatballs, onion, carrots, broth and remaining salt in a 6-quart crockpot and cook covered on low for 5 hours until the meatballs reach 160°F.
  4. Cook the pasta separately for 1 minute less than the package directs and drain it.
  5. Stir the pasta and spinach into the soup and cook on high for 10 minutes until the spinach wilts.