italian wedding soup

This fall I've experienced the wonder and fun that are mini-meatballs in soups while eating out at a few places. One of which was this Italian wedding soup, and the next day I found myself making the exact same soup share with the rest of the family. There's something very pleasing and extra soothing about slurping a bit of soup and biting into these mini-meatballs.

I'm thinking of making a bunch of the meatballs and storing them in the freezer for whenever I have a bunch of leftovers and need a soup I know the kids will eat.

italian wedding soup
serves 10

1 lb lean ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 dried bread crumbs
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried basil
3 tbsp minced onion
1 quart chicken broth
1 1/2 quart water (6 cups)
2 cups spinach or kale (thinly sliced)
1 cup Israeli couscous or small pasta shapes
3/4 cup diced carrots

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Roll mixture into 3/4 in logs and cut logs into 3/4 in pieces. Roll each into a ball and set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat chicken broth and water to boiling, stir in the spinach/kale, pasta/couscous*, carrot and meatballs*. Return to boil, reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente and meatballs are no longer pink inside.

*Pasta/couscous can be boiled seprately first to avoid soup becoming too starchy. Meatballs can be browned first in a separate pan to cut down on the grease.