Soup Season: (pt. 2)

I want to continue with soups that I view as classics- easy to make, customize, and taste awesome as leftovers. So here's another soup: Italian wedding soup. This is a common recipe, but I'm sharing my personal recipe that has a savory veggie flavor with a little tangy creaminess from the parmesan topping.

Italian Wedding Soup (feeds 1-2)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

• olive oil

• 1lb ground beef or turkey

• 1 egg

• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

• 1/2 yellow onion

• garlic cloves or minced garlic

• 1 carrot

• 1 celery stalk

• spinach

• chicken bouillon (chicken broth is fine too, but I prefer bouillon for flavor control)

• fresh parsley and oregano

• shredded parmesan cheese

• salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning

Notes: We're going to make the meatballs and cook the pasta separately before combining the soup. It's important for the parmesan to be fresh. You can use the dry stuff if that's your preference, but I promise you want the parmesan that melts nicely for a smooth texture.

Meatballs

Mix raw ground turkey or beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano, beaten egg, and a dash of salt/pepper. Be careful not to overknead. Scoop into tablespoonfuls and brown in skillet with 1-2 tbs of olive oil. Turn so both sides are brown, but the center will finish cooking in the soup so try to err on the slightly undercooked side.

Soup

1. Dice onion, carrot, and celery then saute in same skillet you cooked the meatballs with a bit of olive oil.

2. Once the veggies start to look translucent, add your garlic and saute another 1-2mins.

3. Pour in chicken broth or 2 cups of water and chicken bouillon (according to packaging suggestions per cup of water). Bring to a boil and season to taste.

4. Add meatballs and simmer on medium low til meatballs are fully cooked.

5. Boil ditalini according to packaging while the broth simmers. Strain and set aside.

6. Add spinach to your veggie broth and cook for a couple minutes til wilted.

7. Combine everything in broth pot then let sit for a few minutes (turn burner off).

8. Ladle into bowls, sprinkling fresh parmesan on top and serve. Voila!

This is perfect with garlic butter croissants because the flakiness and sweetness complement the soup. Feel free to add kale for more fiber, but cook it with your broth before you add spinach. Enjoy, and let me know how you like it!