Italian Wedding Soup

By ErinLayton

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup small pasta such as orzo or stars
• 1/2 cup minced fresh dill
• 5 oz. baby spinach, washed and trimmed
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 75mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, grated cheeses, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon 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. (About 40 meatballs) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.
In the meantime, for the soup, heat the okive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken stock and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the wine and pasta and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the fresh dill and meatballs and simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the fresh spinach and lemon juice and simmer for just a few minutes until the spinach is just wilted. Serve with extra parmesan!