Italian Wedding soup

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
1/2 lb ground beef and pork mix
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot diced
1/2 onion diced
1 rib celery diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup acini di pepe
3 cups spinach chopped
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

For the meatballs:
To make the meatballs, preheat oven to 400F and place a baking rack on a baking tray.
Mix the meatball ingredients using 2 forks. Roll a small amount of mixture between your hands to form the meatballs. You will want to make them small in size so they are easy to eat in the soup.
Place on baking rack and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until they are cooked. Use a meat thermometer to ensure they are fully cooked. Remove from oven.
For the Soup:
Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot and onion and saute until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
Add the broth, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the acini di pepe and reduce heat to a low boil.
After 10 minutes, add the meatballs and continue to simmer until the pasta is fully cooked.
In the last minute of cooking, add the spinach. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Enjoy !